LIFE  UNDER 
TWO  FLAGS 


JAMES  DEMAREST  EATON 


Southern  Branch 
of  the 

University  of  California 

Los  Angeles 


Form  L  I 


■BY 
E14X 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 

^R  1  3    iiiiiU 
,  ,    1944 


James  Dkmarest  Eaton 


LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 


BY 

JAMES  DEMAREST  EATON 


NEW  YORK 
A.  S.  BARNES  AND  COMPANY 

1922 


52S«I0 


Copyright,  1922 
By  JAMES  DEMAREST  EATON 


•   •       •    •    *  • 


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Z.S35 


'STo  m^  Wife 


WHO  DURING  ALMOST  FIFTY  GOLDEN  TEARS 

HAS   BEEN   A  DEAR  COMPANION  IN  THE   HOME, 

AN  UNFAILING   INSPIRER  OP  FAITH   AND   COURAGE, 

AND  A  TRUSTED  COUNSELLOR  IN  CHRISTIAN  SERVICE 

WHICH   SHE  HAS  SHARED   TO  THE   FULL. 

AND 

TO  THE  CHILDREN  AND  GRANDCHILDREN 

WHOSE  UNFOLDING  LIFE  IT  IS  A  JOY  TO  OBSERVE, 

AND  WHO   INSIST  THAT  THERE  BE   PUT  WITHIN  THEIR  REACH 

A  RECORD   OP  SOME  OP  THE   PERSONAL  EXPERIENCES  OP 

ONE  WHO  IS  GREATLY  ENRICHED  BY  THEIR  LOVE. 


FOEEWORD 


This  is  a  book  of  reminiscences  which  are  cast 
V    in  varied  areas,  quiet  and  stormy,  at  home  and 
j    abroad,  and  through  which  runs  the  evidence  of 
J.    a  serene  and  undisturbed  productiveness.     Rich 
^     and  interesting  indeed  is  any  life  which  has  known 
^    such  wide  skies  and  abundant  ingathering.    Born 
of  a  great  inheritance  which  he  shared  with  noble 
brothers,  enriched  by  the  life-long  love  of  a  cour- 
ageous woman,  the  writer  tells  with  the  cheerful- 
-^    ness  of  youth  the  story  of  the  strangely  diverse 
^^  experiences  through  which  many  years  have  borne 
^      him.    In  these  days  when  the  seas  are  strewn  with 
wreckage,  it  is  good  to  hear  of  ships  which  are 
brought  home  so  richly  laden. 

But  the  book  is  more  than  a  volume  of  reminis- 
cences. Nor  is  it  merely  a  vindication  of  the 
promises  past  and  present.  It  is  the  record  of 
lives  spent  in  a  particular  form  of  service.  It 
belongs  to  the  literature  of  the  pioneer  and  it 
quietly  unfolds  much  that  is  deepest  and  most 


vi  FOREWORD 

characteristic  in  us  as  a  people.  May  I  venture 
briefly  to  dwell  upon  this  fact. 

It  has  been  in  the  nature  of  the  Saxon  to  love 
the  frontier.  From  his  first  appearance  in  history 
he  has  ever  been  pushing  westward  and  wherever 
you  find  him  in  the  last  thousand  years  he  is  char-' 
acteristically  interested  in  the  lands  beyond. 
Viewed  in  this  light,  the  story  of  the  persistent 
quest  which  is  so  delightfully  told  in  the  follow- 
ing pages  is  far  more  than  an  interesting  personal 
and  family  narrative,  entertaining  as  it  is  from 
that  point  of  view.  I  think  of  it  as  typical  of  the 
spirit  which  won  a  hemisphere. 

Here,  too,  are  reflected  the  deeper  moods  of  our 
English  and  American  pioneering.  For  I  do  not 
find  that  the  mere  love  of  adventure  has  ever 
peculiarly  satisfied  this  race.  In  this  aspect  the 
passionate  breaking  with  old  horizons  for  the 
romantic  novelty  of  the  new  environment  has  be- 
longed perhaps  more  to  the  Gallic  and  Castilian 
natures.  The  Englishman  has  sought  the  unex- 
plored country — that  he  might  there  construct  a 
more  advantageous  society.  This  has  been  the 
joy  and  song  of  his  pilgrimage.  If  he  has  desired 
to  build  on  no  other  man's  foundation,  he  has 
nevertheless  always  desired  to  build. 

Doubtless  this  ever-renewed  effort  to  establish 
a  better  country  in  the  new  land  has  had  its  pro- 
found influence  in  turn  in  sliaping  the  inner  tex- 
ture of  the  American  people.  For  three  hundred 
years  it  has  been  the  dominating  attitude  in  which 


FOREWORD  vii 

a  large  proportion  of  our  people  have  lived,  while 
the  romance  of  the  West  has  been  the  lure  of 
every  growing  youth.  The  substantial  meaning 
of  all  this  experience  in  the  life  of  the  nation  has 
been  made  the  theme  of  some  of  the  best  of  our 
historical  writings,  but  much  remains  yet  to  be 
understood.  Who  shall  say,  for  instance,  how 
much  of  the  affirmative  attitude  in  our  religious 
thinking  has  been  bred  out  of  just  this  constructive 
aim  which  has  so  continuously  dominated  all  our 
effort  as  a  people? 

Of  the  two  frontiers  on  which  Dr.  Eaton's  life 
has  been  spent,  each  has  a  unique  interest.  The 
accomplishment  of  social  order  in  the  region  be- 
tween the  Missouri  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  is  a 
book  of  thrilling  achievement.  How  fierce  were 
the  high  lights!  How  swiftly  have  they  passed! 
Extensive  as  is  the  literature  regarding  the 
period,  it  is  inadequate  and  one  regrets  the  more 
that  the  crowded  years  compelled  so  brief  a  record 
from  one  who  saw  so  clearly. 

On  the  other  hand,  one  may  confidently  assert 
that  the  contribution  of  America  to  Mexican  life 
and  thought  has  hardly  begun.  From  the  gentle 
but  brave  and  wise  service  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Eaton 
many  yet  to  come  shall  take  heart  and  strength 
ere  the  work  is  fully  accomplished.  In  time  there 
will  dawn  a  better  day  for  Mexico.  The  years  do 
not  commonly  achieve  exact  justice;  but  if  ever 
they  do  in  this  case,  there  will  some  day  be  in 
Mexico  a  Camino  Real  and  its  broad  and  beaten 


viii  FOREWORD 

way  will  follow  the  footsteps  of  these  bearers  of 
the  cross  who  pushed  in  faith  through  the  un- 
broken lands. 

Happy  have  been  the  days  of  travel;  happier 
may  the  sunset  be  I 

James  A.  Blaisdell 

President  of  Pomona  College 
Claremont,  California 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTBR  FAQIl 

I.  Ancestry  and  Early  Years 1 

II.  Student  Life  Following  THE  Civil  War.  .  17 

III.  Across  the  Continent  and  Back 31 

IV.  The  Pastorate  in  Bound  Brook,  New 

Jersey 46 

V.  A  Triangular  Voyage  Under  Sail  and 

Steam 57 

VI.  The  Door  Opens  for  Foreign  Service.  .     74 

VII.   A  Summer  of  Preparation 90 

VIII.   Economic  Conditions  in  Chihuahua  in 

THE  Year  1882  and  After 97 

IX.  Founding  a  New  Mission 116 

X.  A  Touring  Evangelist 134 

XI.  Gathering    a    Church    at    the    State 

Capital 153 

XII.   Promoting  Education 162 

XIII.  A  Book  Business  and  Related  Activities  176 

XIV.  An  Era  of  Church  Building 184 

XV.  Ministering  to  Resident  Foreigners  ....   198 

XVI.  Batopilas  and  Governor  Alexander  R. 

Shepherd 214 

XVII.  Notable  Visitors  to  Chihuahua 229 

XVIII.  Interdenominational  Assemblies 240 

XIX.  Political  Upheavals 252 

XX.  Some  Journeys  and  Family  Reunions  —  269 

XXI.  In  the  Home  Land  Again 286 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

James  Demarest  Eaton Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Church  Edifice  in  Bound  Brook 46 

Governor  Don  Miguel  Ahumada 101 

First  Fruits  of  the  New  Mission 133 

Church  Edifice  and  Home  in  Chihuahua 184 

Tarahumare  Indians 216 

Church  Edifice  in  Portland,  Dedicated  in  1895  269 

Mrs.  Gertrude  Pratt  Eaton 286 


LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 


CHAPTER  I 

ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS 

My  father,  Samuel  W.  Eaton,  was  born  in 
Framingham,  Massachusetts,  December  25, 1820, — 
'*a  Christmas  present  to  his  parents"  we  chil- 
dren used  to  say.  His  father  was  Eben  Eaton 
who  was  born  September  9,  1789,  and  lived  to  the 
age  of  nearly  ninety-four  years.  He  served  as 
deacon  of  Plymouth  Congregational  Church  for 
almost  half  a  century,  officiating  regularly  on  the 
Lord's  Day  to  within  four  weeks  of  his  death. 
One  of  his  sisters  became  the  wife  of  the  Reverend 
Joseph  Emerson  who  was  a  pioneer  in  promoting 
the  higher  education  of  women.  Another  edited 
''The  Friend  of  Virtue"  a  Boston  periodical 
which  enlisted  the  cooperation  of  many  in  rescue 
work  for  the  tempted  and  fallen. 

The  father  of  Eben  was  Ebenezer  Eaton,  who 
fought  at  Bunker  Hill  and  helped  to  carry  General 
Warren  off  the  field  when  the  latter  fell  mortally 
wounded.     His  grave  is  in  the  old  cemetery  at 


2  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

Framingliam,  and  has  been  marked  by  the  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution  with  their  iron  emblem. 
The  father  of  Ebenezer  was  Benjamin  Eaton,  who 
served  in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and  who 
with  his  son  enlisted  in  Captain  Edgell  's  Company 
of  Minute  Men  who  marched,  on  the  alarm  given 
April  19,  1775,  to  Concord  and  Cambridge.  All 
three  men  passed  their  lives  on  a  farm  which  lay 
partly  in  Framingham  township  and  partly  in 
Sudbury.  They  were  descended  probably  from 
Jonas  Eaton  and  his  mfe  Grace  who  settled  in 
Reading,  Massachusetts,  not  later  than  the  year 
1640. 

My  father's  mother  was  Sally  Chadwick  Spoff- 
ord,  born  in  Rowley,  Massachusetts;  a  descendant 
of  John  Spofford  whose  name  appears  on  the  rec- 
ord of  the  first  division  of  lands  into  homestead 
lots  in  that  to^vn  in  1643.  In  the  spring  of  1669 
he  removed  to  '' Spofford 's  Hill"  in  the  western 
part  of  the  township,  and  was  without  doubt  the 
first  settler  in  Georgetown,  and  the  progenitor  of 
all  of  the  name  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
The  ancestors  of  John  Spofford  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  can  be  traced  back  for  centuries ;  indeed 
with  a  good  degree  of  certainty  to  the  time  of 
William  the  Conqueror,  and  to  William  of  Spoff- 
orth  who  had  in  1066,  the  year  of  the  Conquest, 
among  other  possessions  ^'four  acres  of  meadow 
and  wood-pasture  one  mile  long  and  one  broad," 
but  whose  estates  were  confiscated  and  appor- 
tioned among  the  Norman  adventurers. 


ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS     3 

My  father  graduated  from  Yale  College  in  1842, 
counting  among  his  most  intimate  friends  in  the 
same  class  the  eminent  professor  of  Greek,  James 
Hadley,  and  the  professor  of  chemistry,  John  A. 
Porter,  whose  brilliant  career  as  a  scientist  was 
cut  short  by  his  comparatively  early  death.  In 
his  library  was  a  set  of  Shakespeare's  works  in 
seven  large  volumes,  on  the  fly  leaf  of  one  of  which 
was  the  autograph  '*J.  Day,"  the  college  presi- 
dent in  his  time,  indicating  that  the  books  were 
given  in  recognition  of  the  recipient's  high  stand- 
ing as  a  scholar.  My  brother  Edward  at  the  early 
age  of  ten  years  was  already  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  writings  of  the  world's  greatest  drama- 
tist by  poring  over  the  pages  of  that  edition, 
curled  up  on  the  floor  of  the  minister's  tiny  study 
upstairs. 

The  young  graduate  went  to  Union  Theological 
Seminary  for  a  year,  but  returned  to  New  Haven 
to  study  theology  under  Dr.  Nathanael  W.  Taylor, 
and  after  graduation  there  went  to  Ajidover  Sem- 
inary for  a  fourth  year.  Then  he  set  his  face 
westward,  resolved  to  devote  his  life  to  the  task 
of  helping  to  establish  Christian  institutions  in 
the  vast  region  of  the  Mississippi  valley  to  which 
the  early  settlers  were  flocking.  Chicago,  which 
was  then  a  raw,  frontier  city  of  but  a  few  thousand 
people,  was  the  stopping-place  over  one  Sunday. 
Thence  he  journeyed  by  stage-coach  across  north- 
ern Illinois  to  Galena,  and  into  Wisconsin  Terri- 
tory  to   Lancaster,   the   county   seat   of   Grant 


4  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

County,  where  he  took  charge  of  an  infant  church 
then  worshiping  in  a  log  school  house. 

The  following  spring  he  returned  to  the  East 
to  claim  Miss  Catherine  E.  Demarest  as  his  beauti- 
ful bride,  to  be  for  fifty-six  years  his  angel  on 
life's  pathway.  She  was  born  on  Spring  Street 
in  New  York  when  her  father.  Reverend  James 
Demarest,  M.D.  was  pastor  of  a  Dutch  Reformed 
church.  My  mother  was  a  descendant  of  the 
French  Huguenots  who  soon  after  the  revocation 
by  Louis  XIV,  in  1685,  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes, 
took  refuge  in  foreign  countries  to  the  number  of 
at  least  500,000,  her  ancestors  escaping  to  Holland. 
Hence,  while  her  own  family  name  was  French, 
and  she  possessed  much  of  the  mental  alertness 
and  charming  vivacity  of  her  Latin  lineage,  she 
counted  among  her  relatives  many  who  bore  Dutch 
names.    Her  mother  indeed  was  a  Schoonmaker. 

The  newly  wedded  pair  voyaged  around  the 
great  lakes  from  Buffalo  to  Milwaukee,  and  from 
there  traveled  by  horse-drawn  vehicles  across  the 
width  of  Wisconsin  Territory,  the  first  stage  of  the 
journey  being  a  long,  weary  drive  of  two  days 
and  the  intervening  night  without  a  chance  to  rest. 
But  they  passed  the  three  following  nights  suc- 
cessively in  Janesville,  Madison  and  Mineral 
Point,  and  at  last  were  welcomed  by  the  people 
with  whom  they  were  to  be  united  in  Christian 
service  through  forty  eventful  years. 

My  birthday  occurred  on  the  18th  of  March, 
1848,  the  year  in  which  the  Territory  was  admitted 


ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS     5 

to  the  Union  of  States.  Those  were  the  days  when 
''prairie  schooners"  were  a  common  sight  to  my 
childish  eyes ;  when  my  parents  occasionally  took 
me  with  them  to  make  calls  on  families  living  in 
log  cabins  a  few  miles  out  of  town;  when  the 
<< Virginia  rail  fence"  was  ordinarily  used  to 
make  an  enclosure,  although  the  prairies  were  yet 
unfenced  and  in  season  were  covered  with  beauti- 
ful flowers  among  the  grass  as  with  a  many-hued 
carpet;  when  at  times  the  heavens  were  almost 
darkened  with  enormous  flocks  of  migrating  pi- 
geons which  as  they  flew  over  our  heads  were  killed 
in  large  numbers  by  men  and  boys  with  their  shot- 
guns; when  venison  and  bear  meat  could  be  had 
for  our  table ;  when  in  the  winter  our  father  would 
get  a  hind  quarter  of  beef  at  a  time,  cut  it  up  into 
pieces  of  suitable  size  for  the  table,  ''corn"  some 
of  them  in  brine  and  pack  others  in  snow,  to  be 
dug  out  at  intervals  for  feeding  his  four  hungry 
boys ;  when  rain  water  was  stored  in  cisterns,  be- 
fore wells  could  be  driven  through  the  strata  of 
limestone  which  underlay  the  land;  when  soft 
soap  for  household  use  was  made  by  boiling  grease 
in  lye  from  wood  ashes,  in  huge  iron  kettles  over 
an  outdoor  fire;  and  when  thrifty  housewives 
manufactured  their  own  candles,  so  that  even 
after  kerosene  oil  lamps  came  into  use  our  hon- 
ored father  was  wont  to  announce  from  the  pulpit 
that  the  midweek  prayer-meeting  would  be  held 
' '  at  early  candle-light. ' ' 

During  three  years  of  my  life,  1856  to  1859,  on 


6  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

the  farm  in  Framiiigliam,  where  the  old  home- 
stead was  four  miles  from  "The  Center,"  there 
was  no  school  available ;  but  I  did  a  little  studying 
under  the  direction  of  my  aunt  Rebecca  Eaton, 
who  was  a  pupil  of  Mary  Lyon  at  Mount  Holyoke, 
especially  beginning  Latin.  Many  years  later  this 
was  found  to  facilitate  the  acquisition  of  the 
Spanish  language. 

The  presidential  campaign  of  1856,  and  the  can- 
didacy of  General  Fremont  as  the  first  Republican 
standard  bearer,  is  recalled  through  the  deep  im- 
pression made  upon  my  mind  by  the  sight  of  a 
long  strip  of  white  cotton  cloth  stretched  high 
above  the  street  from  side  to  side  under  the  elms, 
and  bearing  the  slogan  in  huge  letters,  ''Fremont 
and  Freedom."  Another  event  which  stirred  my 
youthful  imagination  was  the  "muster"  of  seven 
thousand  militiamen  at  Concord,  when  Nathanael 
P.  Banks  was  Governor  of  the  State,  and  General 
John  E.  Wool,  who  had  distinguished  himself  in 
the  war  with  Mexico,  rode  "Green  Mountain 
Morgan"  alongside  the  chief  magistrate  of  the 
commonwealth.  Although  the  famous  steed  had 
attained  the  venerable  age  of  thirty-seven  years, 
his  spirit  was  stirred  again  at  the  sound  of  martial 
music  and  the  sight  of  the  marching  men  and  the 
prancing  horses;  and  he  seemed  to  renew  his 
youth,  capering  with  the  rest,  to  the  admiration  of 
us  all.  That  was  only  eight  or  nine  years  after 
the  United  States  had  taken  from  Mexico  (though 
salving  her  conscience  by  the  payment  of  fifteen 


ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS     7 

million  dollars  to  a  helpless  neighbor),  the  vast 
territory  which  now  comprises  Colorado,  New 
Mexico,  Arizona,  Nevada  and  California,  to  say- 
nothing  of  Texas  which,  some  years  before 
through  the  instigation  of  American  settlers,  had 
been  led  to  declare  her  independence  of  the  south- 
ern republic.  It  is  distinctly  remembered  that  my 
grandfather,  conversing  with  neighbors  in  my 
hearing,  condemned  that  war  with  Mexico  as  un- 
justifiable on  our  part. 

Various  were  the  religious  influences  which 
shaped  my  character  in  those  tender  years:  in 
part,  the  faithful  instruction  given  by  our  grand- 
mother who  fascinated  us  with  her  narrations  of 
Bible  incidents,  so  that  we  children  were  always 
begging  her  to  tell  us  one  more  story,  and  who 
tried  without  much  success  to  teach  us  the  answers 
to  questions  in  the  "shorter  catechism";  in  part, 
the  daily  family  worship  conducted  by  grand- 
father before  he  went  forth  to  his  engrossing 
work  on  the  farm,  reading  the  Bible  himself  and 
then  standing  up  to  pray ;  and  in  part,  the  attend- 
ance at  public  worship  on  Sunday  morning  and 
afternoon,  with  the  Bible  school  at  noon.  After 
this  study  there  was  a  refreshing  interval  for  us 
and  for  the  many  other  families  who  had  come 
long  distances  to  church,  to  eat  our  lunches  out 
of  doors  when  the  weather  was  not  too  cold  for 
comfort  there.  How  we  did  enjoy  that  religious 
picnic,  since  the  Puritan  custom  frowned  even 
upon  a  quiet  walk  in  the  woods  or  fields  on  the 


8  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

Sabbath,  and  could  approve  only  a  journey  on 
foot  or  by  carriage  which  might  be  necessary  in 
order  to  reach  the  house  of  God.  In  the  Sunday- 
school  a  gentleman  once  offered  a  handsomely 
bound  copy  of  the  Bible  to  every  boy  and  girl  who 
should  commit  to  memory  a  certain  number  of 
hundreds  of  verses  of  Scripture  within  a  specified 
time.  This  led  to  the  stormg  of  many  chapters 
in  my  mind,  and  the  forming  of  a  habit  which  in 
after  years  not  only  helped  in  the  preparation  for 
conducting  religious  services  in  my  pastorates,  but 
also  facilitated  the  committing  to  memory  of 
passages  from  the  Spanish  Bible  as  an  aid  to  gos- 
pel work  in  Mexico. 

With  the  return  of  the  family  to  Wisconsin  in 
the  autumn  of  1859  I  was  enrolled  a  pupil  at  the 
Lancaster  Listitute  under  the  principalship  of 
Sherman  Page,  who  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  a 
thorough  teacher  and  an  effective  elocutionist. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Robert  A.  Donaldson,  gradu- 
ated at  Middlebury  College  and  an  accurate 
scholar  who  insisted  upon  our  memorizing  all  the 
rules  and  exceptions  in  Andrews  and  Stoddard's 
Latin  Grammar.  Later  he  went  to  San  Francisco 
and  became  connected  with  the  Southern  Pacific 
Railroad,  occupying  for  many  years  a  position  of 
large  responsibility. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  there  was 
manifested  an  intense  devotion  to  the  Union  on 
the  part  of  the  citizens  of  our  town,  and  many 
of  my  older  schoolmates  enlisted  in  the  army. 


ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS     9 

One  of  them,  Thomas  Cox,  was  in  the  opening 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  the  first  man  from  our  town 
to  be  killed;  and  the  crying  of  the  "extra"  upon 
the  streets  made  a  tremendous  impression  upon 
the  tender  sensibilities  of  a  boy  only  thirteen 
years  of  age.  Another  who  heeded  his  country's 
call  by  a  truly  religious  consecration  of  himself, 
ready  to  die  for  her,  passed  with  grave  counte- 
nance through  the  school-room,  from  desk  to  desk, 
giving  a  goodbye  kiss  to  each  of  the  older  girls; 
and  I  looked  on  the  unwonted  spectacle  with  a 
feeling  of  awe,  akin  to  that  experienced  when- 
ever I  saw  my  mother  partake  with  deep  feeling 
of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

When  the  men  composing  Company  C  of  the 
Seventh  Regiment  Wisconsin  Volunteers  were 
about  to  leave  for  camp,  they  were  drawn  up  on 
the  green  in  front  of  the  court-house  to  receive 
from  the  women  a  banner  which  bore  the  legend 
''From  the  Lead  Mines  of  Old  Grant."  My 
mother  had  been  chosen  to  make  the  presentation, 
supported  by  a  group  of  ladies,  and  while  she 
was  reading  the  address  that  deeply  moved  all 
her  hearers,  the  captain,  John  B.  Callis,  with 
sword  drawn,  was  slowly  pacing  back  and  forth 
in  front  of  the  ranks,  meditating  the  form  of  his 
courteous  and  patriotic  response.  He  rose  to  be 
colonel  and  brigadier  general,  and  after  the  war 
became  a  member  of  the  Congress  at  Washington. 

The  following  year  came  a  letter  from  him 
stating  that  the  men  of  the  Seventh  Wisconsin 


10  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

had  chosen  my  father  to  be  their  chaplain  and 
had  petitioned  the  Governor  of  the  State  to  com- 
mission him  for  that  service,  and  begging  him  to 
accept  tlie  appointment.  The  appeal  and  the 
commission  were  laid  before  the  members  of  the 
church,  who  agreed  with  their  pastor  in  feeling 
that  the  call  ought  to  be  accepted,  and  voted  to 
spare  him  for  a  few  months.  He  reached  the  army 
of  the  Potomac  at  the  time  of  the  second  battle 
of  Bull  Run,  and  at  once  gave  himself  wdth  all 
his  soul  to  the  care  of  the  soldiers ;  preaching  in 
camp;  making  journeys  to  Washington  before 
battles  with  the  soldiers'  money  in  cash  upon  his 
person  or  in  a  hand  bag, — as  high  as  $10,000  at 
a  time, — that  it  might  not  be  lost  if  they  fell; 
ministering  on  the  battle-field,  under  the  enemy's 
fire,  to  the  wounded  and  the  dying.  For  a  part 
of  the  time  he  was  the  only  chaplain  in  the  Iron 
Brigade ;  and  he  could  not  leave  his  soldiers  until 
the  close  of  the  war  in  1865. 

After  each  battle  our  father  wrote  to  mother 
in  detail  concerning  the  casualties  among  the  men 
from  our  township;  and  it  often  fell  to  me  to 
harness  the  horse  to  the  buggy  and  drive  mother 
to  the  home  of  some  soldier,  far  out  in  the  country 
perhaps,  in  order  that  she  might  read  there  the 
letter  which  was  of  such  intense  interest  to  the 
family.  The  newspapers  of  Chicago  were  filled 
with  long  lists  of  the  killed,  the  wounded  and 
the  missing,  and  many  errors  occurred.  Conse- 
quently if  the  name  of  the  loved  one  had  been 


ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS  11 

given,  the  family  waited  for  accurate  tidings  from 
the  chaplain  before  feeling  sure  as  to  the  truth. 
Even  though  the  name  might  not  have  appeared 
in  any  one  of  the  lists,  yet  the  friends  would  not 
be  able,  after  a  bloody  battle,  to  do  more  than 
"rejoice  with  trembling"  until  there  should  come 
confirmation  of  the  belief  that  the  dear  husband 
or  brother  or  son  was  safe.  After  the  three  days 
of  fighting  at  Gettysburg,  during  which  conflict 
the  chaplain  wrote  home  at  the  close  of  every  day, 
sometimes  utilizing  a  drumhead  for  a  writing- 
desk,  he  reported  Colonel  Callis  wounded,  and 
that  only  three  men  of  Company  C  were  fit  for 
duty.  The  "Iron  Brigade,"  (composed  of  the 
Second,  the  Sixth  and  the  Seventh  Wisconsin 
Regiments  and  the  Nineteenth  Indiana  and,  for 
a  part  of  the  time,  the  Twenty- fourth  Michigan), 
had  won  such  renowTi  that  it  was  often  placed  in 
very  dangerous  positions,  and  it  correspondingly 
suffered. 

The  chaplain  was  on  the  field  at  Appomattox 
Court  House  immediately  after  the  surrender  of 
General  Lee,  and  secured  pieces  of  the  apple  tree 
under  which  the  Commander  of  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia  was  seated  when  General  Grant 
met  him  for  the  purpose  of  arranging  the  terms 
of  capitulation,  which  were  signed  in  the  farm- 
house near.  These  details  were  given  by  General 
Grant  himself  to  the  chaplain  in  Galena,  Illinois, 
at  the  house  of  the  former's  friend,  Mr.  Felt, 


12  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

where  my  father  had  the  honor  of  making  a  call 
on  the  General  and  Mrs.  Grant. 

The  limits  of  this  narrative  will  not  permit  me 
to  follow  the  fortunes  of  my  brothers,  except  to 
record  in  briefest  outline  the  careers  of  the  three. 
Edward  Dwight  graduated  at  Beloit  College  and 
Yale  Theological  Seminary;  held  two  pastorates 
in  ten  years;  was  president  of  Beloit  for  more 
than  thirty  years;  for  a  time  during  the  World 
War  represented  our  denomination  at  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  in  the  same  city  served  a  new 
church  as  its  first  pastor;  for  a  long  time  has 
been  connected  with  the  American  Board,  first  as 
its  vice-president,  then  on  the  prudential  com- 
mittee, and  going  on  deputations  to  foreign  fields ; 
and  is  still  active  as  a  sort  of  pastor  at  large. 
Samuel  Lewis  graduated  at  Yale,  where  he  took 
the  first  prize  at  the  Junior  Exhibition,  was 
elected  to  a  senior  society  which  is  the  most 
famous  one  in  that  university,  was  one  of  the  six 
winners  of  the  Townsend  prizes  for  **the  best 
specimen  of  English  composition"  who  spoke  in 
competition  for  the  De  Forest  gold  medal,  and 
was  one  of  the  speakers  on  the  commencement 
program.  He  entered  the  medical  profession,  and 
for  many  years  has  been  established  in  Newton 
Highlands,  Massachusetts,  where  he  has  a  private 
sanatorium  in  addition  to  his  general  practice. 
Charles  Woodliull  also  became  a  physician  and 
surgeon  spending  most  of  his  active  life  at  the 
capital  of  Iowa,  where  he  was  medical  director  of 


ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS  13 

the  Des  Moines  Life  Insurance  Company  at  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1908.  The  memorial  service 
in  Plymouth  Church  was  noteworthy,  for  the  large 
attendance  of  men  including  the  medical  frater- 
nity who  furnished  from  their  number  the  hon- 
orary pall-bearers,  for  the  beauty  and  appropri- 
ateness of  the  selections  from  Scripture  and  of 
the  music  by  organ  and  quartette,  and  for  the 
able  and  appreciative  analysis  of  our  brother's 
character  and  work  and  the  tribute  of  love  and 
admiration  which  were  given  by  the  pastor  and 
the  pastor  emeritus  respectively.  After  it  was  all 
over,  Edward  seated  himself  in  Charlie's  chair 
at  the  office  and  told  us  all  the  beautiful  story  of 
that  day  in  a  letter  from  which  it  may  be  per- 
mitted to  quote  a  few  lines :  ' '  How  many  whom 
he  has  buo3'ed  up  in  sickness  and  despondency 
are  dreading  the  experience  of  life  without  him; 
strong  men  pay  their  homage  to  his  greatness, 
and  women  and  children  mourn  in  him  the  ten- 
derest,  most  s^onpathetic  of  friends  ....  It  is  an 
irreparable  loss  to  you  all,  that  you  could  not 
share  the  sorrowful  privilege  of  feeling  the  depth 
of  affection  shown  by  so  many  for  our  brother, 
and  the  manifold  evidences  of  the  power  of  his 
life  and  influence  in  this  community  and  far 
beyond  it  ...  .  Are  we  not  proud  and  thankful 
that  he  was  given  to  us  and  to  so  many  others? 
and  we  think  he  would  say  to  us  now  with  his 
brightest  smile,  'Say  not  good  night,  but  in  some 
brighter  clime  bid  me  good  morning.'  " 


14  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

During  the  war  the  Lancaster  Institute  again 
experienced  a  change  of  administration,  the  new 
principal  being  John  J.  Copp  of  Groton,  Connecti- 
cut, a  graduate  of  Amherst  College.  He  was  a 
most  wholesome  kind  of  man  of  high  ideals  and 
an  inspiring  teacher,  and  valued  the  possession 
of  a  sound  body,  keeping  his  o\\ti  in  good  con- 
dition by  taking  walks  of  from  six  to  ten  miles 
daily.  Under  his  lead  our  class  read  the  entire 
twelve  books  of  Virgil's  ^neid,  presenting  each 
day  for  "the  review"  a  careful  translation  of 
the  preceding  lesson,  which  was  written  in  a  large 
blank  book,  so  that  in  the  end  each  one  of  us  was 
possessor  of  a  volume  that  contained  an  English 
version  of  the  famous  classic.  Occasionally  the 
study  of  the  lesson  would  be  halted  for  a  few 
minutes  while  our  teacher  would  repeat  from 
memory,  and  in  an  elevated  and  sympathetic  tone 
of  voice,  some  significant  lines  from  Milton's 
Paradise  Lost. 

One  day  in  the  spring  of  1865  he  told  us  that 
we  were  prepared  to  enter  Amherst.  My  own 
thought  had  been  not  to  go  to  college,  lest  that 
step  might  lead  to  my  becoming  a  minister  of  the 
gospel.  It  seemed  to  me  preferable  to  avoid  the 
solemn  responsibilities  and  the  material  sacrifices 
involved  in  that  calling  to  which  my  parents  had 
given  themselves  with  such  absolute  devotion.  I 
would  go  into  business,  perhaps  becoming  a  book- 
seller or  even  a  publisher;  and  if  by  this  means 
a  competence  were  secured,  my  parents  would 


ANCESTRY  AND  EARLY  YEARS  15 

have  many   comforts   to   lighten   the  burden  of 
declining  years,  and  generous  gifts  would  be  made 
for   the   support   of   the    Church,   whose    divine 
mission  it  never  occurred  to  me  to  question  for 
one  moment.    This  had  been  my  youthful  dream. 
But  the  next  few  months  were  to  bring  a  change 
in  the  outlook.     After  the  ''Grand  Review"  of 
the  federal  armies  marching  through  Washington 
for  three  days,  (when  my  father  rode  his  horse 
among  the  other  officers  of  his  regiment,  accom- 
panied  by   Edward   as   his    orderly,    the   latter 
having  been  for  a  short  time  an  agent  of  the 
United   States   Christian   Commission,   probably 
the  youngest  in  the   service),   it  was  not   long 
before  the  million  and  a  quarter  of  men  were 
mustered  out  of  service  and  allowed  to  return  to 
their    families    and   peaceful    occupations.      The 
chaplain   delayed  his   home-coming   only   a   few 
days  to  enable  him  to  attend  the  National  Con- 
gregational  Council  at  Boston,   and  accompany 
the  delegates  to  Plymouth  where  they  adopted 
the  Burial  Hill  Declaration  of  Faith.    Following 
closely  his  return  to  us  came  a  letter  from  the 
colonel  of  his  regiment,  who  wrote  to  the  chaplain : 
"I  should  not  feel  my  duty  as  a  soldier  ended  did 
I  not  acknowledge  your  services  while  connected 
with  the  army.  .  .  .  Your  example  and  influence 
have  been  to  me  of  untold  worth  in  the  discipline 
of  the  command.      While  I  feel  my  inability  to 
express  in  befitting  words  the  extent  of  the  moral 
value  of  your  Christian  example  and  service,  I 


16  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

am  totally  lost  for  language  when  I  refer  to  your 
services  in  the  trying  hour  of  battle  as  you  stood 
among  the  dead  and  dying.  .  .  .  Heaven,  who 
alone  knows  the  full  worth  of  your  labors,  reward 
you." 

My  father  in  his  quiet,  thoughtful  way  led  me  to 
realize  more  fully  the  advantages  of  a  college 
education,  although  at  that  time  he  said  nothing 
about  entering  the  Christian  ministry.  He  had 
given  up  the  comparatively  comfortable  income 
of  the  chaplaincy,  and  returned  to  the  meager 
salary  of  former  days,  and  therefore  could  not 
propose  my  going  to  his  alma  mater,  nor  even  to 
Amherst;  but  he  did  offer  to  help  me  to  the  ex- 
tent of  his  abilitj^,  if  I  would  enter  the  young 
college  whose  founding  by  wise  men  from  the  east, 
shortly  after  he  himself  had  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  pioneers,  had  roused  his  deepest  interest  and 
hearty  cooperation.  This  was  evidently  a  provi- 
dential opening,  and  the  parental  counsel  pre- 
vailed, backed  as  it  was  by  family  traditions  on 
both  sides  of  the  house.  Early  in  September  I 
started  for  the  school  which  was  only  two  hundred 
miles  distant,  "working  my  passage"  by  helping 
a  friend  to  drive  his  herd  of  cattle  twenty-five 
miles  to  the  nearest  railroad  station,  load  them 
on  the  cars  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
then  travel  on  the  freight  train  headed  for  the 
Chicago  stockyards,  on  a  pass  for  "drover  and 
assistant." 


CHAPTER    II 

STUDENT   LIFE   FOLLOWING   THE   CIVIL   WAB 

The  halls  of  Beloit  College,  which  had  been 
almost  deserted  for  four  years,  because  of  the 
enlistment  of  so  many  of  its  students  to  fight  for 
union  and  freedom,  filled  up  with  men  returning 
to  finish  their  studies  in  company  with  those  who 
were  too  young  to  serve  in  the  army. 

In  our  freshman  class  were  nine  who  had  worn 
the  blue  uniform,  including  two  former  captains. 
One  of  the  seniors  was  Colonel  J.  D.  Davis  who 
became  the  famous  missionary  to  Japan.  Others 
from  the  army  were  Arthur  H.  Smith  and  Henry 
D.  Porter  who  went  to  China.  A  large  percentage 
of  every  class,  in  the  academy  as  well  as  in  the 
college,  were  expecting  to  become  ministers,  and 
many  of  these  afterward  enlisted  as  Christ's 
soldiers  for  campaigns  in  foreign  fields.  Men  of 
that  stamp  were  so  numerous  that  there  was  main- 
tained a  daily  prayer-meeting  at  noon,  each  class 
had  its  weekly  religious  meeting  after  one  of  the 
recitations,  and  there  was  an  evening  gathering 
in  the  middle  of  the  week  designed  for  the  entire 
student  body.  The  class  rooms  were  filled  largely 
with  grown  men,  not  immature  boys;    and  there 

17 


18  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

prevailed  a  feeling  of  responsibility  to  make  the 
most  of  one's  self  in  those  days  of  opportunities 
for  culture,  and  to  decide  in  what  way  one  might 
become  most  useful  to  humanity. 

The  outstanding  men  of  the  faculty,  besides 
President  Aaron  L.  Chapin,  were  Joseph  Emerson 
in  Greek,  William  Porter  for  Latin,  Jackson  J. 
Bushnell  in  Mathematics,  and  James  J.  Blaisdell 
in  Mental  and  Moral  Philosophy.  Very  few  were 
the  tutors;  and  so  the  students  came  into  daily 
personal  contact  with  those  rare  teachers  who 
molded  character  while  they  opened  the  paths  to 
knowledge.  Early  in  its  history  Beloit  began  to 
furnish  professors  to  Yale,  and  presidents  and 
instructors  for  various  colleges. 

There  w^as  another  advantage  enjoyed  at  the 
small  college  as  compared  with  a  large  eastern 
institution;  a  larger  proportion  of  the  students 
were  entrusted  with  official  responsibility  and 
were  summoned  to  participate  in  college  functions 
of  various  kinds.  One  of  the  many  pleasant  ex- 
periences of  my  life  here  was  the  editorship  of 
the  college  monthly  magazine  which  had  then 
maintained  a  continuous  existence  for  a  longer 
period  than  any  other  publication  of  its  class, 
excepting  the  Yale  Literary  Magazine.  The  week 
before  graduation  was  spent  by  me  in  accom- 
panying the  editors  of  the  newspapers  of  Wiscon- 
sin on  an  excursion  which  included  steamboat 
travel  on  lake  and  river,  receptions  and  banquets, 
entertainment  by  night  at  comfortable  hotels,  a 


STUDENT  LIFE  FOLLOWING  CIVIL  WAR      19 

convention  with  flow  of  oratory,  and  free  trans- 
portation by  railroad.  Another  agreeable  recol- 
lection is  that  of  the  triumphant  career  of  the 
baseball  team,  "The  Olympians,"  organized  by 
our  class  in  the  freshman  year  in  the  spring  of 
]  866,  but  taken  up  with  great  enthusiasm  by  other 
men  in  the  college  and  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment. They  defeated  crack  teams  from  Madison, 
Janesville,  Whitewater,  Milwaukee,  Chicago  and 
other  towns,  gained  the  championship  in  their 
own  state  and,  through  the  reports  in  the  public 
press  of  their  achievements,  attracted  attention 
to  the  college. 

In  those  years  the  lyceum  courses  of  lectures 
were  in  full  swing,  bringing  to  us  famous  men 
like  Wendell  Phillips,  John  B.  Gough,  Frederick 
Douglass,  George  W.  Curtis,  Theodore  Tilton 
and  Horace  Greeley,  besides  others  who  without 
compensation  addressed  public  assemblages,  such 
as  Generals  William  T.  Sherman  and  Benjamin 
F.  Butler,  and  clergymen  and  educators  who 
spoke  at  chapel. 

Before  the  end  of  the  freshman  year  my 
decision  had  been  made  to  unite  with  the  church 
at  Lancaster,  and  my  reluctance  to  become  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  was  overcome  through  an 
intimate  conversation  mth  my  father  while  hg 
was  taking  me  with  his  horse  and  buggy  to  the 
railroad  station,  which  necessitated  a  drive  of 
five  or  six  hours.  After  that  act  of  renunciation 
it  became  easy  to  hold  myself  in  readiness  to  go 


20  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  into  ** darkest  Africa,'* 
or  anywhere  that  might  be  providentially  indi- 
cated. 

After  graduating  from  college  in  1869  I  studied 
awhile  at  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  where 
Professors  Bartlett,  Haven  and  Fisk  were  the  Big 
Three.  As  an  outside  responsibility  there  was 
given  me  a  class  of  boys  in  the  large  Tabernacle 
Sunday-school  whose  superintendent  was  that 
splendid  Christian  leader,  Major  D.  W.  Whittle. 
Dwight  L.  Moody  was  just  coming  into  promi- 
nence at  the  meetings  in  Farwell  Hall;  and  many 
of  the  city  pulpits  were  filled  by  able  men  whose 
discourses  supplied  additional  training  of  great 
value  for  both  mind  and  heart. 

But  in  the  early  spring  an  invitation  was  ac- 
cepted to  teach  a  public  school  on  a  large  cotton 
plantation  near  Lake  Village,  Arkansas,  at  a  good 
salary  and  for  a  term  of  only  three  months.  The 
long  voyage  by  steamboat  from  Saint  Louis  to 
Vicksburg  enabled  me  to  make  the  acquaintance 
of  many  southerners  and  to  gain  insight  into  life 
on  both  sides  of  the  great  river.  An  afternoon  in 
Memphis  furnished  two  contrasting  spectacles; 
one,  the  succession  on  a  fashionable  street,  of 
carriages  drawn  at  a  rapid  pace  by  blooded 
horses  and  filled  with  beautiful  southern  women 
accompanied  by  handsome  men,  and  the  other,  a 
procession  of  colored  people  celebrating  the  ratifi- 
cation of  the  Fifteenth  Amendment  to  the  Consti- 
tution.   In  the  first  wagon  was  a  brass  band,  and 


STUDENT  LIFE  FOLLOWING  CIVIL  WAR      21 

in  the  second  a  company  of  girls  dressed  in  white, 
representing  all  the  States  of  the  Union,  while  on 
a  throne  elevated  above  them  sat  a  plump  Negress 
also  arrayed  in  white  raiment,  with  white  kid 
slippers  on  her  feet  and  a  crown  of  glittering 
tinsel  on  her  head,  representing  the  Goddess  of 
Liberty.  When  they  reached  their  destination 
and  the  goddess  prepared  to  descend  to  earth, 
dozens  of  dusky  arms  were  outstretched  eagerly 
to  receive  her.  Along  the  way  rode  Negro 
marshals  in  uniform,  mounted  on  mettlesome 
steeds  and  looking  as  important  as  if  they  might 
have  returned  recently  from  commanding  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac. 

We  had  glimpses  of  spots  made  famous  during 
the  Civil  War,  such  as  Fort  Pillow,  Milliken's 
Bend,  Island  No.  10  and  above  all  Vicksburg, 
where  was  spent  a  part  of  two  days  waiting  for  a 
boat.  Countless  were  the  caves  dug  in  the  sides 
of  the  gulches  to  provide  shelter  for  the  families 
from  the  cannonading  by  our  troops,  and  in  them 
were  still  to  be  seen  evidences  of  former  occu- 
pation. In  one  of  the  old  redoubts  had  been 
mounted  the  cannon  ''Whistling  Dick,"  which  did 
considerable  execution  among  the  Federal  gun- 
boats; and  leading  down  from  it  to  the  bank  of 
the  river  was  seen  the  deep  trench  for  sheltering 
the  Confederates  when  they  went  to  draw  water. 
In  another  earthwork  were  found  two  heavy 
siege  guns,  ten  to  twelve  feet  in  length  and  made 
to  discharge  a  twelve  inch  projectile,  which  were 


22  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

half  buried  in  the  earth  where  they  had  lain  for 
six  or  seven  years.  The  cemetery  on  the  north 
side  of  the  city  contained  the  graves  of  40,000 
Confederate  soldiers,  a  portion  of  them  having 
been  brought  from  Helena  in  Arkansas.  The  city 
was  still  garrisoned  with  United  States  soldiers. 

In  Chicot  County,  Arkansas,  at  that  time  there 
were  about  ten  times  as  many  colored  people  as 
w^hites;  and  a  considerable  percentage  of  the 
latter  before  the  war  had  belonged  to  the  rough 
element,  so  that  it  was  the  custom  of  men  on  the 
highway,  as  well  as  on  the  lonely  roads  and  trails, 
to  carry  arms.  The  government  in  power  was  of 
the  ''carpet  bag"  variety  of  course;  but  the  white 
officials  with  whom  I  had  dealings  appeared  to  be 
men  not  only  of  intelligence  but  of  integrity,  and 
sincerely  desirous  of  promoting  the  public  wel- 
fare. The  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  county  was 
a  scholar  and  a  gentleman  of  high  ideals,  and 
the  judge  was  of  a  kindred  spirit.  He  and  his 
wife  conducted  a  Sunday-school  for  whites,  and 
their  home  was  for  me  a  delightful  retreat. 

The  school  trustee  who  signed  a  contract  with 
me  as  teacher  at  the  Yellow  Bayou  plantation  was 
the  son  of  a  wealth}-  planter,  while  his  mother 
was  a  slave.  He  had  been  educated  in  France 
and  could  speak  several  languages.  He  held  also 
the  offices  of  justice  of  the  peace,  postmaster  and 
state  senator,  and  had  lately  had  his  nomination 
as  minister  to  Liberia  confirmed  by  the  Senate 
of  the  United  States. 


STUDENT  LIFE  FOLLOWING   CIVIL  WAR      23 

The  owner  of  Yellow  Bayou  had  other  prop- 
erty in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  in  Philadelphia 
where  he  made  his  home  during  the  war.  His 
wife  was  a  Derringer,  daughter  of  the  inventor  of 
the  pistol  of  that  name,  and  she  had  in  her  pos- 
session a  dozen  or  more  braces  of  the  weapon  for 
making  gifts  to  friends.  She  was  a  cousin  of  the 
wife  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Their  mansion  had 
been  burned  during  the  war,  and  later  the  very 
site  of  it  was  washed  away  by  the  Mississippi 
river;  so  that  the  family  had  to  take  up  their 
abode  in  the  dwelling  of  the  old-time  overseer. 
After  a  few  weeks  they  all  started  for  their 
summer  sojourn  at  the  north,  leaving  the  new 
overseer  and  the  schoolmaster  sole  occupants  of 
the  house,  the  only  whites  among  hundreds  of 
colored  folks ;  and  one  of  the  two  was  burned  by 
the  sun  to  so  dark  a  hue,  that  the  pedagogue 
scarcely  realized  the  presence  of  even  one  white 
person  on  that  area  of  8,000  acres,  except  when 
he  caught  a  glimpse  of  his  own  face  in  the 
mirror. 

The  teaching  was  of  a  simple  character,  en- 
livened by  the  use  of  blackboard,  charts  and  globe 
brought  from  Chicago;  and  the  children,  (for  all 
old  enough  to  labor  were  in  the  cotton  field), 
made  good  progress,  advancing  from  their  a  b  c's 
through  the  first  reader.  So  great  was  the  de- 
mand from  the  field  hands  for  similar  advantages, 
that  a  night  school  was  opened,  for  a  very  mod- 
erate fee  which  they  gladly  paid.     The  teacher 


24  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

was  called  upon  to  help  adults  in  their  accounts 
and  other  business  matters,  and  even  to  write 
love  letters  for  ardent  swains.  In  one  such  case 
the  amanuensis  had  finished  a  glowing  epistle  to 
"Dearest  Lucinda,"  and  it  had  been  subscribed 
"Your  true  and  faithful  lover,  Tolliver  Bowie"; 
and  the  writer  had  made  a  copy  of  it,  when  the 
young  man's  feelings  overcame  him,  and  he 
suddenly  burst  forth  in  an  imaginative  strain 
uttering  the  following  sentences  which  were  taken 
dowTi  verhatim  from  his  lips  and  added  as  a 
postscript  :  "I  have  rode  the  broad  ocean  of  water 
and  run  the  risk  of  my  life.  I  have  traveled  over 
mountains  day  after  day,  and  have  not  found  a 
lady  among  ten  thousand  that  lies  so  upon  my 
whole  heart  as  you.  I  ask  that  you  will  please  tell 
me  whether  you  will  have  me,  and  not  to  tell  me 
No;  for  it  seems  like  a  burden  lying  upon  my 
whole  heart,  from  one  day's  end  to  another.  I 
feel  like  a  sheep  that  has  wandered  from  its  gang 
and  has  lost  its  way  and  is  blatting.  I  am  like 
a  dove  that  has  lost  its  mate  and  is  calling  for  it 
and  cannot  find  it.  I  hope  it  will  soon  come  to 
its  home  and  give  me  peace."  He  would  have 
gone  on  like  this  for  the  space  of  several  sheets, 
if  his  fancy  had  been  allowed  full  play;  but  the 
hour  was  getting  late,  and  the  brake  was  applied. 
On  Sundays  from  nine  to  ten  o'clock  I  had  a 
Bible  school  more  largely  attended  than  the  other; 
and  I  had  opportunity  to  observe  the  colored  folks 
in  their  religious  meetings  under  the  lead  of  igno- 


STUDENT  LIFE  FOLLOWING  CIVIL  WAR      25 

rant  but  fervid  preachers  who  were  encouraged  by 
their  hearers  to  rise  to  loftier  flights  of  eloquence 
by  such  ejaculations  as  ''Yes,  brother,"  "Yes, 
honey,"  "Yes,  yes,"  "That's  so,  brother,"  (with 
nodding  of  the  head),  and  "My  God!  ain't  that 
true!"  Many  would  break  out  into  singing  by 
themselves  or  loud  screaming  while  the  preacher 
was  holding  forth ;  and  often  the  din  was  deafen- 
ing. On  one  occasion  a  young  woman  was  so 
"moved"  that  she  jumped  up  and  down  and  threw 
her  arms  and  legs  about  in  an  alarming  manner. 
Several  of  the  neighboring  worshipers  received 
from  her  brawny  hands  a  resounding  whack  in 
the  face;  and  some  dodged  her  during  prayer, 
when  she  began  to  heave  and  groan  and  sway  her 
body.  While  she  was  going  through  these  motions, 
an  attentive  young  man  performed  the  pleasing 
task  of  supporting  her  by  the  waist  from  behind. 
Although  many  of  their  sayings  and  doings  were 
painfully  ludicrous,  others  awakened  profound 
sympathy,  by  reason  of  the  pathetic  reminders 
thus  given  of  the  old  times  of  suffering  in  slavery, 
and  real  respect  for  their  simple  faith  in  Jesus 
and  their  sincere  reverence  for  things  unseen  and 
eternal. 

In  September  I  entered  Andover  Theological 
Seminary,  taking  the  studies  of  the  middle  year 
under  Professor  Edwards  A.  Park,  who  had  re- 
turned refreshed  by  a  year  in  Europe,  and  was 
greeted  by  an  enthusiastic  class  of  about  sixty 
men  including  the  seniors  who  had  awaited  his 


26  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

coming  to  get  the  course  of  lectures  on  systematic 
theology.  The  room  was  full,  and  often  the  keen 
sallies  of  the  lecturer  or  his  witty  rejoinders  to 
some  student's  question  or  remark  called  forth 
hearty  laughter  or  loud  applause  by  the  entire 
assembly.  Such  worldly  sounds  proceeding  from 
a  body  of  theological  students  might  have  scan- 
dalized some  outsiders,  if  the  building  had  been 
within  easy  range  of  their  hearing;  but  that  and 
the  companion  halls  rose  in  quiet  stateliness  far 
back  from  the  street,  behind  a  wide  lawn  and  ave- 
nues of  elms  and  horse-chestnuts. 

Courses  in  the  Hebrew  and  the  Greek  Scrip- 
tures were  given  us  by  Charles  M.  Mead  and  J. 
Henry  Thaj'er.  In  the  senior  year  it  was  Austin 
Phelps  and  Egbert  C.  Smyth ;  while  all  along  we 
had  J.  Wesley  Churchill,  the  incomparable  im- 
personator and  the  big  brother,  who  drilled  daily 
the  whole  body  of  men  in  vocal  gjTunastics,  and 
with  discernment  but  in  a  kindly  manner  criticised 
the  seniors  in  their  delivery  of  sermons. 

Many  were  the  notables  brought  to  address 
either  the  students  alone  or  assemblies  that  in- 
cluded the  townspeople,  such  as  Edward  Everett 
Hale,  Andrew  P.  Peabody,  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson, 
Wendell  Phillips,  General  Armstrong,  A.  J.  Gor- 
don and  Joseph  Cook.  Boston  was  a  mine  of 
similar  riches,  with  R.  R.  Meredith  crowding 
Tremont  Temple  every  Saturday  noon  with 
teachers  and  preachers  to  hear  his  exposition 
of  the   Sunday-school  lesson;   Christine  Nilsson 


STUDENT  LIFE  FOLLOWING  CIVIL  WAR      27 

singing  in  the  oratorio  of  the  ''Messiah"  and  in 
the  opera  of  "Faust,"  and  Parepa  Rosa  still 
charming  with  her  voice  the  lovers  of  music; 
Edwin  Booth  playing  in  ''Hamlet"  and  Edwin 
Forrest  in  "King  Lear;"  Major  J.  W.  Powell  tell- 
ing for  the  first  time  in  public  the  thrilling  story 
of  his  perilous  voyage  of  exploration  through  the 
Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona;  while  Harvard  Uni- 
versity admitted  me  as  a  visitor  to  lectures  by 
James  Russell  Lowell  and  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 
Dr.  E.  B.  Webb  was  preaching  at  the  Shawmut 
Church,  Edward  N.  Kirk  at  Mount  Vernon  on 
Beacon  Hill,  J.  M.  Manning  at  the  Old  South  on 
the  corner  of  Milk  Street,  "Adirondack"  Murray 
at  Park  Street,  and  Phillips  Brooks  at  the  old 
stone  church  on  Winter  Street. 

In  June  of  1872  was  held  the  second  Peace  Ju- 
bilee in  the  huge  coliseum  built  for  the  purpose, 
when  P.  S.  Gilmore  brought  from  different  coun- 
tries of  Europe  their  famous  bands  of  music,  each 
one  comprising  not  less  than  fifty  instruments. 
Johann  Strauss  conducted  one  of  the  companies, 
and  he  was  so  extremely  active  in  his  bodily  move- 
ments as  to  cause  the  swallowtails  of  his  coat  to 
fly  about  almost  like  the  wings  of  the  bird  from 
which  they  derive  their  name !  There  was  a  chorus 
of  many  thousands  of  singers,  the  hundreds  of 
component  parts  of  which  had  been  drilled  in  ad- 
vance by  men  who  instructed  them  in  halls, 
churches  and  schools  throughout  Greater  Boston. 
One  of  those  leaders  came  regularly  to  train  us 


28  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

theological  students,  and  so  it  happened  that  a  seat 
in  the  immense  chorus  was  assigned  to  me. 

The  senior  year  brought  me  many  opportunities 
for  the  supply  of  pulpits ;  but  there  was  no  thought 
of  accepting  a  pastorate  in  dear  New  England; 
for  my  face  was  set  toward  mission  work,  either 
in  the  newer  regions  of  my  own  country  after  my 
father 's  example,  or  in  foreign  lands  which  seemed 
to  make  a  stronger  appeal  to  such  as  were  free  to 
leave  their  kindred.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  T.  Gulick 
of  North  China  urged  upon  me  the  claims  of  that 
wide  field,  and  as  the  result  of  repeated  interviews 
they  felt  pretty  sure  of  my  intention  to  join  them 
after  having  carried  out  the  cherished  plan  of  tak- 
ing a  year  for  further  study  at  Yale.  But  about 
the  same  time  Dr.  George  H.  Atkinson  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  addressed  the  student  body  and  presented 
the  claims  of  the  new  Northwest,  he  having  re- 
cently resigned  his  pastorate  of  fifteen  years  with 
the  First  Church  to  become  general  missionary  for 
Oregon  and  Washington.  He  told  the  fascinating 
story  of  Marcus  Whitman's  winter  ride  across 
the  Rocky  Mountains  to  plead  with  the  govern- 
ment at  Washington  not  to  allow  that  territory 
to  become  the  possession  of  Great  Britain,  and 
how  that  intrepid  missionary  of  the  American 
Board  took  back  with  him  a  caravan  of  families 
to  prove  his  assertion  that  fellow-countrymen 
could  settle  in  that  region,  and  would  do  so  if  they 
received  encouragement.  In  a  private  interview 
he  solicited  my  cooperation  with  himself  in  the  en- 


STUDENT  LIFE  FOLLOWING  CIVIL  WAR      29 

deavor  to  lay  broad  and  deep  foundations  for 
Christian  institutions  in  that  domain  of  rich  re- 
sources. 

The  month  of  September  found  me  in  New 
Haven,  domiciled  in  the  new  Divinity  Hall  as  chum 
with  my  brother  Edward  who  had  graduated  from 
Beloit  as  valedictorian  of  his  class  and  was  be- 
ginning his  theological  course.  How  we  did  enjoy 
life  under  the  elms  at  the  ancient  seat  of  learn- 
ing, sitting  at  the  feet  of  such  teachers  as  George 
P.  Fisher,  Timothy  Dwight  and  William  D.  Whit- 
ney I  The  pulpit  of  Battell  Chapel  was  occupied 
by  able  preachers ;  and  that  valiant  leader  of  Con- 
gregationalism, Leonard  Bacon,  was  still  to  be 
seen  on  the  platform  at  Center  Church  of  which 
he  had  become  pastor  emeritus.  It  was  thrilling 
to  feel  the  contact  of  the  pervading  spirit  of  a 
large  body  of  students,  to  move  in  an  encompass- 
ing atmosphere  of  noble  traditions  of  scholarship 
and  chivalrous  service  of  others,  to  gaze  upon  the 
old  red  brick  walls  which  had  sheltered  our  father 
and  his  associates  and  the  successive  generations 
of  men  before  his  time  going  back  almost  two  hun- 
dred years,  and  to  ramble  eastward,  northward  or 
westward,  visiting  the  fields,  the  woodlands,  the 
high  rocks  or  the  shore  of  the  Sound,  which  their 
feet  had  trod. 

But  in  November  came  a  great  surprise  in  the 
form  of  a  call  from  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Portland,  Oregon,  to  become  its  pastor 
for  one  year.   That  seemed  to  open  a  door  for  both 


30  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

iLome  and  foreign  missionary  work;  for  while  the 
congregation  was  at  that  time  the  largest  of  our 
fellowship  north  of  San  Francisco,  and  well  past 
the  need  of  pecuniary  help,  it  was  located  at  the 
strategic  center  of  a  wide  area  dotted  with  settle- 
ments that  were  already  making  loud  appeal  for 
the  formative  moral  and  religious  influences  which 
the  Church  alone  could  furnish ;  and  the  numerous 
Chinese  residents  in  the  city  made  their  special 
claim  upon  my  sjTupathies.  Then,  too,  for  a  dozen 
years  past  I  had  been  frequenting  class  rooms. 
Of  theory  there  had  been  abundance ;  now  a  little 
of  practice  might  be  wholesome.  A  year  on  the 
far  Pacific  Coast  out  among  men — and  hardy 
pioneers  at  that,  accustomed  to  bring  things  to 
pass,  if  not  in  the  conventional  way — would  en- 
rich me  with  a  new  kind  of  experience,  reveal 
some  of  the  things  I  lacked,  and  return  me  to  the 
university  mth  a  more  intelligent  idea  concerning 
the  direction  of  study  required  to  make  good  my 
deficiencies;  and  soon  was  the  decision  made  to 
accept  the  call. 


CHAPTER  III 

ACROSS  THE   CONTINENT  AND  BACK 

On  my  westward  way  the  first  week  in  December 
found  me  in  Washington,  when  the  Congress  was 
in  session.  J.  Allen  Barber,  of  Wisconsin,  who 
had  been  chiefly  instrumental  in  obtaining  from 
New  England  the  successive  principals  of  the  In- 
stitute, was  then  a  member  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives. When  Mr.  Barber  escorted  me  to 
the  Senate  Chamber  for  the  purpose  of  introduc- 
ing me  to  one  of  the  senators  from  Oregon,  at  the 
door  we  almost  jostled  against  the  imposing  figure 
of  Charles  Sumner,  and  within  we  heard  Roscoe 
Conkling  speaking. 

In  my  native  town  and  at  a  special  meeting 
of  the  Mineral  Point  District  Convention  of  Con- 
gregational Churches  which  w^as  held  on  Sunday 
evening,  December  15,  in  the  old  church  edifice 
which  could  not  contain  all  who  wished  to  attend 
the  unwonted  ceremony,  occurred  my  ordination 
to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  The  sermon  by  my 
father  had  for  its  text  the  charge  of  David  to 
Solomon  his  son :  "  I  go  the  way  of  all  the  earth ; 
be  thou  strong  therefore  and  show  thyself  a  man.'* 
One  of  the  local  papers,  in  its  extended  account 

31 


32  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

of  the  event,  remarked:  ''Than  this,  nothing  could 
have  been  finer  or  more  apposite,  as  the  discourse 
of  which  it  was  the  keynote  so  convincingly  testi- 
fied; perhaps  one  of  the  best  sermons  of  his  life, 
as  in  his  preaching  he  manifested  a  degree  of 
earnestness  and  displayed  a  power  of  eloquence 
such  as  characterize  the  efforts  of  not  every  cler- 
gyman within  our  borders." 

At  that  time  there  was  but  one  railroad  to  the 
Pacific  Coast,  which  had  been  completed  three 
years  before  by  the  junction  at  Ogden  of  the  Union 
Pacific  and  the  Central  Pacific  tracks ;  and  it  was 
a  journey  of  seven  days  from  New  York  to  San 
Francisco.  But  even  that  was  a  wonderful  ad- 
vance, in  both  time  and  comfort,  over  the  stage- 
coach and  the  pony  express  of  Ben  HoUiday,  who 
was  for  a  while  a  fellow  passenger  on  our  train. 
In  Utah  it  was  bitterly  cold,  making  it  necessary  to 
use  the  blankets  from  our  berths  as  lap  robes ;  but 
when  the  high  banks  of  snow  on  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains  had  been  passed,  and  our  train  had 
dropped  dowoi  in  a  few  hours  from  the  summit  to 
Sacramento,  we  found  ourselves  inhaling  with  de- 
light balmy  air  laden  with  the  perfume  of  flowers. 
It  seemed  as  if  we  must  have  halted  in  some  vast 
conservatory;  but  there  was  no  glass  above  our 
heads,  only  the  clear  air  of  California  flooded 
with  sunshine. 

To  reach  Portland  there  was  a  choice  of  routes, 
either  by  rail  to  Redding,  thence  by  daily  stage  for 
two  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  over  the  Sis- 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  AND  BACK      33 

kiyou  Mountains  to  Eoseburg,  ending  with  a  ride 
of  two  hundred  miles  by  rail  again  to  the  city  lo- 
cated on  the  Willamette  river  ten  miles  above  its 
junction  with  the  Columbia,  or  by  a  small  tri- 
weekly steamer.  People  said:  '* Whichever  way 
you  choose,  you'll  wish  you  had  taken  the  other;" 
but  during  the  rainy  winter  season,  when  it  was 
almost  impossible  for  the  ''mud  wagons"  to  get 
through  certain  bad  stretches  of  road,  so  that 
the  sacks  of  mail  sometimes  had  to  be  thrown  off 
in  the  mire,  and  the  time  lengthened  out  to  four- 
teen days  from  New  York,  the  scale  tipped  heavily 
toward  the  ocean  voyage.  Consequently  passage 
was  taken  on  the  ''George  W.  Elder"  for  a  voyage 
of  eight  hundred  miles,  over  the  Columbia  River 
bar  and  past  the  historic  port  of  Astoria,  where 
the  majestic  stream  is  three  miles  in  width,  then 
up  between  heavily  wooded  banks  to  the  city  of  my 
day  dreams. 

Never  can  I  forget  the  first  impression  of  the 
wonderful  view  which  is  obtained  from  the  heights 
back  of  the  town,  with  the  dark  evergreen  forest 
stretching  far  in  every  direction,  while  just  across 
the  valley  to  the  eastward,  (apparently  near, 
though  really  fifty  miles  away),  rises  the  stately 
Mount  Hood  robed  in  white.  North  of  it  looms  the 
symmetrical  cone  of  Mount  Adams ;  and  still  far- 
ther away  may  be  discerned  Ranier,  distant  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles ;  while  to  the  south  are 
the  peaks  of  Mount  Jefferson  and  the  Three  Sis- 
ters; thus  outlining  the  Sierra  Nevada  range  for 


34  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

more  than  two  hundred  miles.  Nearer,  one  can  fol- 
low with  his  gaze  the  courses  of  the  two  rivers,  both 
above  and  below  their  confluence,  by  means  of  the 
light  reflected  from  their  gleaming  w^ater,  wliich 
offers  a  striking  contrast  to  the  dark  green  of 
the  encompassing  forest.  Lying  at  the  wharves 
below  are  a  few  river  steamboats,  and  some  sail- 
ing vessels  that  may  have  come  from  China  or  the 
west  coast  of  South  America,  and  are  to  take  on 
cargoes  of  wheat  for  England  via  Cape  Horn. 

With  the  exception  of  the  compact  city  itself, 
and  a  glimpse  of  the  military  barracks  at  Fort 
Vancouver  on  the  northern  bank  of  the  Columbia, 
there  were  then  no  human  habitations  to  be  seen; 
and  most  appropriate  seemed  the  title  given  to  the 
region,  "the  great  lonely  land,"  the  fitness  of 
which  must  have  been  felt  by  the  poet  who  wrote : 
"Where  rolls  the  Oregon  and  hears  no  sound  save 
its  own  dashing. ' ' 

Portland  had  a  population  of  only  ten  thousand ; 
but  its  assessed  property  valuation  of  ten  million 
dollars  indicated  its  importance  even  at  that  time 
as  a  business  center.  Seattle  comprised  a  few 
frame  buildings  scattered  among  a  wilderness  of 
stumps  on  the  high  shore  of  Puget  Sound,  and 
Tocoma  was  nowhere.  But  the  northwestern  me- 
tropolis already  possessed  a  number  of  substantial 
brick  blocks,  a  noble  federal  building  which  occu- 
pied the  center  of  an  entire  square,  commodious 
school  houses  and  respectable  churches.  The  First 
Congregational  had  already  completed  its  second 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  AND  BACK      35 

building,  an  attractive  edifice  with  a  basement 
story  for  the  Sunday-school  and  social  gatherings, 
and  a  graceful  spire  from  which  sounded  forth 
the  voice  of  its  deep-toned  bell.  It  summoned  to 
their  church  home  a  noble  band  of  earnest  men 
and  women,  many  of  whom  were  true  pioneers  and 
had  come  to  occupy  positions  of  large  responsi- 
bility, and  were  ready  to  give  largely  of  their 
time  and  their  means  to  Christian  enterprises. 

Life  in  those  novel  surroundings  was  full  of 
interest  from  the  beginning.  Not  only  in  the 
church  itself  did  it  fall  to  me  to  administer  the 
sacraments  for  the  first  time  and  receive  a  consid- 
erable number  of  new  members,  the  larger  part  on 
confession  of  faith,  and  take  the  lead  in  obtaining 
an  organist  and  new  recruits  for  the  choir,  and 
within  six  weeks  start  a  Chinese  Sunday-school 
with  a  teacher  for  each  pupil;  but  in  the  com- 
munity and  in  outside  towns  occurred  events  which 
called  for  assistance  from  the  newcomer.  Very 
soon  was  the  entire  city  shocked  and  saddened 
by  the  tidings  that  through  treachery  on  the  part 
of  the  Modoc  Indians  in  southern  Oregon  the  be- 
loved General  Canby  and  a  well-knoA\Ti  clergy- 
man had  been  killed.  The  body  of  the  General  was 
brought  home  for  the  burial  rites,  in  which  some 
of  us  shared.  Two  months  later,  during  the  meet- 
ing of  our  State  Association  at  The  Dalles,  my  ser- 
mon on  Sunday  evening  was  addressed  to  an  as- 
sembly which  included  a  small  group  of  Warm 
Spring  Indians  who  in  company  with  other  war- 


36  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

riors  of  the  tribe  had  been  fighting  those  same 
Modocs  in  the  Lava  Beds ;  for  a  number  of  the  tribe 
were  Christians.  The  following  day  a  lot  of  the 
braves  who  had  come  into  town  to  be  paid  otf,  rode 
through  the  streets  on  their  ponies,  carrying  sus- 
pended from  poles  the  scalps  of  those  they  had 
slain,  and  whooping  at  intervals  in  a  startling 
manner,  at  the  same  time  firing  their  guns.  In 
the  evening  they  had  a  war  dance,  staged  by  sev- 
enty warriors  and  as  many  squaws. 

An  event  in  the  spring  which  moved  the  city 
mightily,  furnishing  a  topic  of  conversation  when- 
ever people  met,  filling  columns  of  the  newspapers, 
and  dividing  the  citizens  into  two  camps,  of  friends 
and  foes,  was  the  launching  of  the  Women's  Tem- 
perance Crusade,  in  sympathy  with  the  movement 
which  began  in  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  spread  to  other 
parts  of  the  country,  led  to  the  organization  of 
the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union,  and 
had  a  large  share  in  shaping  public  opinion 
against  the  liquor  saloon,  until  the  climax  of  hos- 
tility to  alcoholic  beverages  was  reached  in  the 
adoption  of  the  Eighteenth  Amendment  to  the 
Constitution. 

When  the  movement  was  at  its  height,  the 
women  were  accustomed  to  meet  every  morn- 
ing in  one  of  the  churches  in  company  with 
their  pastors  and  other  women  and  some  lay- 
men, for  prayer  and  conference  and  mutual 
encouragement  in  the  difficult  task;  then  they 
marched   forth   two   by  two,   fifty   or    sixty   of 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  AND  BACK   37 

them,  to  lay  siege  to  some  saloon,  singing 
and  praying  on  the  sidewalk  and  expostula- 
ting with  the  barkeeper  for  being  in  so  shameful 
a  business  as  that  of  coining  money  out  of  the  de- 
gradation of  his  fellowmen  and  the  poverty  and 
suffering  of  innocent  wives  and  children.  Becom- 
ing proficient  in  the  methods  of  their  warfare  they 
took  lunches  along  and  carried  campstools  on  their 
arms,  so  as  to  be  able  to  continue  for  an  indefinite 
time  in  any  given  place.  Now  and  then  they  would 
march  back  to  the  church  to  report  progress  to  the 
praying  group  there,  narrating  experiences  that 
tended  either  to  discourage  or  to  cheer,  and  then 
start  out  again  to  renew  their  holy  crusade,  with 
renewed  faith  and  courage  to  face  the  foe.  The 
climax  was  reached  when  they  visited  the  saloon 
of  a  man  whose  wife  was  a  member  of  our  church, 
and  where  they  stayed  for  more  than  four  hours, 
until  the  sun  went  down.  Whistles  were  blown, 
gongs  beaten,  a  barrel  organ  played,  water  thrown 
with  the  hose  on  the  crusaders,  and  several  fights 
occurred  among  men  who,  drawing  pistols  and 
knives,  took  sides  either  for  or  against  the  women. 
The  following  morning  at  nine  o'clock  the  cru- 
saders came  again,  but  the  proprietor  kept  quiet. 
A  little  before  noon  they  were  arrested  by  police 
officers,  and  their  trial  was  fixed  for  the  next 
morning,  which  was  Saturday.  The  case  was  ad- 
journed till  Monday.  After  listening  to  the  testi- 
mony, and  pleas  by  several  attorneys  on  each  side, 
the  jury  rendered  a  verdict  of  ''guilty  of  dis- 

5280  0 


38  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

orderly  conduct,"  and  each  woman  was  sentenced 
to  pay  a  fine  of  $1  and  costs,  or  go  to  jail  for  one 
day.  Of  course  they  chose  the  latter  alternative; 
but  they  did  not  continue  their  militant  methods, 
feeling  that  they  had  already  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion for  good  upon  the  minds  of  thinking  men  and 
women,  and  being  convinced  that  by  other  means 
the  shaping  of  public  opinion  in  the  right  direction 
would  go  on,  as  it  did. 

Very  soon  was  our  church  strongly  reinforced 
by  the  coming  of  Major  General  0.  0.  Howard 
to  take  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Colum- 
bia. As  loyal  Congregationalists  he  and  his  wdfe 
and  family  cast  in  their  lot  with  us ;  and  one  of  the 
General's  staff  and  his  "wdfe  did  the  same.  The 
commander  taught  a  Bible  class,  and  occasionally 
occupied  my  pulpit,  when  it  was  necessary  for  me 
to  be  absent  in  the  interest  of  other  churches. 
When  General  Phil  Sheridan  visited  our  city  on 
his  wedding  journey,  the  reception  given  in  his 
honor  by  General  Howard  afforded  opportunity 
to  meet  him  and  his  charming  bride. 

There  were  still  living  in  the  community  men 
and  women  who  were  reminders  of  the  earlier  days 
when  it  was  not  yet  determined  that  Oregon  and 
Washington  should  belong  to  the  United  States. 
The  tall  form  of  the  famous  trapper  and  Indian 
fighter,  Joseph  Meek,  was  seen  on  our  streets. 
Then  there  was  "Father  Walker"  of  no  less  gi- 
gantic stature,  early  missionary  of  the  American 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  AND  BACK      39 

Board  to  the  Indians  at  Walla  Walla,  and  ''Father 
Eells,"  his  companion  on  the  far  frontier. 

That  second  year,  1874,  was  not  far  advanced 
before  I  found  myself  wearied  with  carrying  the 
unaccustomed  weight  of  large  responsibilities ;  and 
the  church  was  frankly  informed  of  my  wish  to 
be  relieved  entirely  of  the  burden,  unless  it  might 
be  practicable  to  arrange  for  an  extended  ex- 
change of  pulpits  with  some  eastern  minister. 
The  good  people  expressed  their  preference  for 
the  second  alternative;  and  soon  it  was  decided 
that  the  Reverend  A,  H.  Bradford  of  Montclair, 
New  Jersey,  would  take  my  place  for  the  months 
of  June  to  September  inclusive,  and  commit  his 
people  to  my  care  for  the  same  period,  each  min- 
ister having  obtained  leave  of  absence  for  six 
months.  Years  afterwards  it  was  learned  from 
the  Bradfords,  that  they  too  were  just  then  feel- 
ing that  some  way  must  be  found  for  securing  a 
much  needed  rest,  but  could  not  see  how  it  was  to 
be  brought  about,  when,  behold!  the  novel  pro- 
posal arrived  by  mail. 

What  a  summer  sojourn  was  that  for  me,  pur- 
suing the  study  not  of  books  but  of  folks,  making 
the  acquaintance  of  choice  men  and  women  who 
had  formerly  belonged  to  churches  in  New  York, 
Brooklyn  and  Jersey  City.  There  were  visits  to 
the  great  metropolis,  to  relatives  and  friends  in  the 
vicinity  and  in  New  England,  and  to  the  meeting 
in  New  Haven  of  the  National  Congregational 


40  LITE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

Council,  to  which  I  was  elected  delegate  from  the 
churches  of  Oregon  and  Washington. 

At  the  very  first  was  made  the  discovery  that 
the  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Mont- 
clair  church,  Mr.  Julius  H.  Pratt,  was  a  classmate 
of  my  father  at  Yale  College.  If  the  reading  of 
these  lines  were  to  be  confined  to  my  children  and 
grandchildren,  I  might  feel  at  liberty  to  enter  into 
some  details  of  what  happened  in  the  course  of  the 
next  few  months;  but  the  veil  of  reserve  must 
cover  them.  However,  it  may  be  stated  that  my 
pleasant  sojourn  did  not  end  with  the  farewell 
reception  in  the  church  parlors,  when  a  generous 
purse  was  placed  in  my  hands.  For  another  month 
I  tarried;  and  when  I  began  the  return  journey, 
by  a  Pacific  Mail  steamer  to  Aspinwall,  by  rail 
across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  thence  by  an- 
other vessel  to  San  Francisco,  I  wore  an  engage- 
ment ring  which  had  been  given  me  in  exchange  for 
one  placed  on  the  hand  of  Miss  Gertrude  Clifford 
Pratt,  who  had  recently  returned  from  a  year  and 
a  half  of  study  and  travel  in  Europe  after  her 
course  at  Vassar  College. 

In  the  following  spring  came  two  influential 
women  of  the  Portland  church  to  my  study,  osten- 
sibly to  make  a  friendly  call.  But  as  they  arose 
to  take  their  leave,  they  said  something  about 
wishing  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  certain 
young  lady  concerning  whom  they  had  heard  very 
pleasant  things,  and  without  further  explanation 
laid  upon  my  table  a  tiny  parcel.    After  their  de- 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  AND  BACK      41 

parture  this  was  found  to  contain  about  five  hun- 
dred dollars,  in  shining  twenty  dollar  gold  coins. 
Then  was  their  meaning  plain!  But  could  the 
church  be  left  again  so  soon  for  a  long  absence? 
Once  more  were  the  fates  propitious;  since  Mrs. 
Pratt  was  to  make  the  voyage  via  Panama  in  com- 
pany with  a  lady  friend  who  sought  recovery  of 
health,  the  daughter  decided  to  go  with  her  mother 
to  the  far  western  coast. 

We  met  in  San  Francisco ;  and  there  was  a  wed- 
ding one  morning  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  First 
Church,  attended  by  about  fifty  friends.  The  most 
popular  minister  in  the  city  at  that  time  was  Dr. 
A.  L.  Stone,  who  was  a  finished  orator  and  pos- 
sessed of  a  rarely  musical  voice.  Of  course  I 
could  not  assume  that  in  this  case  the  rule  of  pro- 
fessional courtesy  would  prevail ;  therefore  at  the 
close  of  a  call  the  evening  before  at  the  minister's 
residence,  for  the  purpose  of  engaging  the  ser- 
vices of  his  organist,  I  ventured  to  place  in  the 
doctor's  hand  an  envelope  containing  a  fee  for  him- 
self. After  the  ceremony  the  next  day,  when  Dr. 
Stone  in  his  inimitable  manner  had  extended  con- 
gratulations to  the  newly  wedded  pair,  he  slipped 
the  identical  envelope  into  the  hands  of  the  bride 
with  the  remark:  '*I  think  this  belongs  to  you." 
In  the  evening  were  found  written  on  my  owti  sheet 
of  paper  the  words:  ''These  golden  compliments 
of  the  bridegroom  are  returned  to  the  bride,  with 
best  wishes  for  her  happiness,  by  the  ofificiating 
minister."     So  that  all  three  participants  were 


42  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

gratified,  the  coin  having  followed  the  same  circle 
which  had  been  taken  by  the  wedding  ring  a  few 
moments  before. 

At  the  Cliff  House  was  given  by  Mrs.  Pratt  a 
wedding  breakfast  to  about  a  dozen  friends  who 
w^ere  closest  to  the  family.  The  next  day  we  boarded 
the  overland  train  to  Summit,  and  thence  were 
driven  fifty  miles  via  Truckee  to  Lake  Tahoe,  on 
the  way  having  a  magnificent  view  from  our  out- 
side seats,  of  a  part  of  the  snow-covered  Coast 
Eange.  One  evening  when  the  fascinating  lake 
was  flooded  with  the  glory  of  the  moon,  w^e  and 
another  young  couple  were  invited  to  form  a  party 
for  a  boat  ride.  The  oars  were  plied  by  the  clerk 
of  the  hotel  while  our  other  host,  w^ho  owned  the 
boats  for  hire,  sat  in  the  bow  and  sang  to  us, 
accompanying  himself  on  the  guitar.  By  day  while 
floating  on  the  surface  one  could  see  very  far 
down  into  the  depths  and  observe  pictured  on  the 
bottom  the  moving  images  of  the  ripples  above. 
So  clear  was  the  water  that  one  scarcely  noticed 
where  it  met  the  air;  and  one  felt  the  sensation 
recorded  by  Mark  Twain  who  was  almost  ready  to 
believe  that  he  was  floating  in  the  atmosphere. 

Since  the  season  of  rains  and  muddy  roads  was 
past,  we  decided  to  make  the  journey  to  Portland 
by  land.  For  a  part  of  the  ride  to  Redding  we 
enjoyed  the  delightful  company  of  Dr.  J.  K.  Mc- 
Lean, then  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Oakland,  (but  formerly  in  charge  of 
Plymouth  Church  in  Framingham,  Massachusetts, 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  AND  BACK      43 

to  which  our  family  had  belonged  for  several  gene- 
rations), who  was  bound  for  Shasta  Springs  and 
a  vacation,  hunting  and  fishing. 

We  had  reserved  outside  seats  alongside  the 
driver  of  the  stagecoach  which  was  to  start  on 
Saturday  morning  at  six  o'clock.  It  was  drawn 
by  six  spirited  horses  that  were  exchanged  for  a 
fresh  team  every  ten  or  twelve  miles.  There  were 
many  places  on  that  road  through  the  mountains, 
which  the  iron  horse  had  not  yet  penetrated, 
where  a  slight  swerving  from  the  narrow  track 
or  a  failure  of  the  brakes  on  a  steep  descent  would 
have  launched  us  into  eternity.  The  successive 
drivers  did  not  hesitate  to  play  upon  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  young  lady  passenger  by  describing 
some  of  their  hairbreadth  escapes  from  fatal  acci- 
dent. After  eighteen  hours  of  that  sort  of  experi- 
ence we  felt  exhausted  in  mind  and  body  when  we 
dismounted  from  our  perch  to  rest  for  the  twenty- 
four  hours  of  the  Lord's  Day  in  a  little  inn  at 
Strawberry  Valley,  in  full  view  of  Mount  Shasta. 
At  the  midnight  hour  we  were  again  on  the  road, 
to  continue  to  the  end  of  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  miles  of  this  mode  of  travel  until  we  reached 
Roseburg  and  a  railroad  train. 

Portland  introduced  the  bride  to  a  life  full  of 
novelties  in  landscape,  people,  social  requirements 
and  service  as  pastor's  wife.  Her  musical  gifts 
and  training  were  soon  discovered  and  utilized; 
so  that  she  frequently  sang  contralto  solos  in  con- 


44  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

certs  given  for  the  benefit  of  the  church,  and  was 
employed  as  organist  for  the  Sunday  services. 

Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  year  1876  which 
offered  the  Centennial  Exposition  at  Philadelphia, 
we  faced  the  necessity  of  deciding  whether  or  no 
to  remain  indefinitely  in  the  northwest.  Frankly 
we  were  not  captivated  with  the  climate.  Delight- 
ful as  it  was  to  see  roses  blooming  in  the  door- 
yards  all  through  the  year,  we  did  not  fancy  the 
prevalence  for  months  in  succession  of  "Oregon 
mist"  which  for  the  first  two  weeks  after  my  own 
arrival  did  not  permit  the  sun  to  show  its  face  for 
even  one  brief  moment.  Umbrellas  and  overshoes 
became  a  burden.  The  girl  who  had  scaled  the 
Righi  Culm  and  been  photographed  there  with 
alpenstock  in  hand,  lost  all  inclination  to  mountain 
climbing.  Then,  too,  the  young  minister  felt  that 
in  time  he  would  have  to  seek  renewal  of  energy 
through  a  change  of  pastorate,  and  it  seemed  ad- 
visable to  resign  his  charge  then,  rather  than  at 
a  later  time. 

But  the  sundering  of  tender  ties  which  had  al- 
ready been  formed  between  pastor  and  people  was 
a  painful  ordeal  for  both  of  us.  On  the  last  Sun- 
day, the  thirtieth  of  April,  in  the  morning  was 
preached  my  farewell  sermon  to  a  crowded  house 
from  the  text  "As  the  mountains  are  round  about 
Jerusalem,  so  the  Lord  is  round  about  his  people," 
and  the  discourse  was  printed  in  full  in  the  lead- 
ing newspaper.  Children  were  presented  for  bap- 
tism. In  the  evening  was  the  place  filled  again 
for  celebrating  the  Lord's  Supper  and  for  or- 


ACROSS  THE  CONTINENT  AND  BACK      45 

daining  in  a  fitting  manner  three  additional 
deacons.  On  Thursday  evening,  just  before  board- 
ing the  steamer  Oriflamme,  we  attended  the  reg- 
ular midweek  meeting  presided  over  by  one  of  the 
older  deacons.  In  prayer  and  song  voices  choked 
with  deep  feeling.  At  the  close  came  the  dreaded 
handclasps  and  farewells,  which  some  avoided  by 
leaving  the  room  in  silence.  The  tears  were  brim- 
ming in  men's  eyes.  The  pastor's  wife  became  sep- 
arated from  her  husband  and,  surrounded  by 
friends,  was  overcome  by  emotion.  In  the  days 
just  preceding  we  had  received  proofs  of  strong 
attachment.  One  evening  we  heard  two  or  three 
dozen  rings  of  our  doorbell,  the  first  intimation  of 
a  surprise  party  of  thirty-five  persons,  composed 
of  my  wife's  Bible  class  of  young  men  and  their 
lady  friends,  who  brought  refreshments  and  valu- 
able gifts.  The  following  evening  was  given  an- 
other surprise,  when  a  larger  company  filled  the 
house  and  witnessed  the  presentation  to  the  re- 
tiring pastor  of  a  valuable  gold  watch  and  chain, 
suitably  engraved,  which  after  forty-six  years 
of  service,  and  pretty  rough  usage  for  two-thirds 
of  that  period  in  Mexico,  is  keeping  as  accurate 
time  as  at  the  beginning.  What  greatly  enhanced 
its  value  to  the  recipient  was  the  knowledge  that 
almost  every  one  connected  with  the  church  and 
the  Bible  school  had  contributed  to  its  purchase; 
so  that  the  beautiful  gift  has  been  a  continual  re- 
minder through  all  the  intervening  years  of  the 
love  and  good  wishes  of  the  men  and  women  and 
children  who  constituted  my  first  parish. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  PASTORATE  IN  BOUND  BROOK,  NEW  JERSEY 

Midsummer  found  us  again  in  Montclair;  and 
soon  we  learned  of  a  church  which  had  been  organ- 
ized in  Bound  Brook  by  families  that  for  the  most 
part  had  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  communion, 
though  some  came  from  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church.  They  had  entered  the  Congregational 
fellowship  to  free  themselves  from  certain  local 
embarrassments,  and  were  not  seeking  pecuniary 
aid  from  outside.  They  had  been  ministered  to 
for  a  time  by  Dr.  Edward  Beecher,  meeting  in  the 
assembly  room  of  an  academy;  but  they  planned 
soon  to  build  a  house  of  worship,  and  were  looking 
for  a  pastor.  I  was  invited  to  make  their  acquain- 
tance and  perhaps  take  charge  of  the  new  enter- 
prise. For  six  Sundays  we  worshipped  together 
in  the  school,  the  minister  being  received  as  guest 
in  as  many  different  homes  each  time  from  Satur- 
day until  Monday. 

In  September  we  were  on  our  way  to  Hartford 
to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of  the  American 
Board,  stopping  along  the  road  with  relatives  on 
the  wife's  side  of  the  house,  in  Stratford,  Bridge- 
port and  New  Haven.    During  the  stay  in  Bridge- 

46 


CiirRni   Edifice   in  Boixd  Bkook 


THE  PASTORATE  IN  BOUND  BROOK,  N.  J.      47 

port  there  came  by  wire  a  call  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Bound  Brook  church.  But  in  Hartford, 
when  that  Christian  statesman,  Secretary  N.  G. 
Clark,  met  me  in  the  lobby  of  his  hotel,  he  recog- 
nized the  former  Andover  student  and,  holding 
my  hand  in  a  close  grasp,  said  in  his  impressive 
way:  "Eaton,  in  the  name  of  the  American  Board 
I  extend  to  you  a  call  to  Japan. ' '  Each  of  the  calls 
in  its  o^vn  way  made  a  strong  appeal  and  was 
matter  for  serious  and  prayerful  meditation. 

In  Stratford  we  had  made  the  acquaintance  of 
William  Elliot  Griffis,  recently  returned  from  his 
years  of  service  at  the  Imperial  University  in 
Japan;  for  he  came  to  deliver  a  lecture  on  that 
country  and  its  people,  and  was  entertained  in 
the  same  hospitable  home  with  ourselves.  To  him 
I  went  for  information  concerning  missionary 
methods.  While  he  expressed  hearty  sympathy 
with  efforts  to  evangelize  the  Japanese,  the  inter- 
view decided  me  to  accept  the  call  to  Bound  Brook. 
The  church  was  composed  of  substantial  and  in- 
telligent people  who  were  very  loyal  to  the  new 
enterprise ;  and  while  there  was  not  in  it  a  single 
family  of  Congregational  antecedents,  all  took 
most  kindly  to  the  unwonted  freedom.  One  of  the 
first  things  they  did,  even  before  securing  a  pastor, 
was  to  compile  and  print  a  complete  church  manual 
of  their  own ;  and  their  first  leader  found  it  a  pleas- 
ant task  to  train  them  in  Congregational  ways. 
My  installation  in  the  pastorate  was  deferred  for 
some  months  until  it  could  be  combined  with  the 


48  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

dedication  of  the  house  of  worship  already  under 
construction.  Then  we  had  a  feast  day  indeed, 
with  the  dedication  sermon  preached  by  George 
H.  Hepworth  of  New  York  in  the  afternoon,  and 
that  for  the  installation  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Rankin  of 
Washington  at  night.  During  the  first  winter 
was  shown  deep  interest  in  the  things  of  the  spirit ; 
and  without  summoning  to  our  aid  any  profes- 
sional evangelist,  a  considerable  number  were 
added  to  the  church  on  confession  of  faith.  This 
was  considered  to  be  sufficient  evidence  that  a  mse 
decision  had  been  made. 

In  marked  contrast  to  our  extreme  isolation 
in  the  far  northwest  was  our  close  proximity  to 
the  pulsing  life  of  a  great  city,  which  we  could 
reach  by  any  one  of  three  lines  of  railroad.  It 
was  my  habit  to  attend  the  Monday  meetings  of 
our  ministers  of  New  York  and  vicinity.  During 
that  first  year  was  organized  the  Congregational 
Club  to  promote  closer  fellowship  among  the 
churches  of  the  same  district.  About  the  same 
time  was  formed  the  Northern  New  Jersey  Con- 
ference to  bring  into  still  more  intimate  relations 
the  congregations  of  that  area.  Pulpit  exchanges 
were  more  frequent  than  they  are  now;  and  in  this 
way  our  local  church  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  hear- 
ing the  messages  and  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  personalities  of  some  of  the  fine  pastors  of  our 
fellowship.  Dr.  W.  H.  Campbell  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, President  of  Rutgers  College,  was  an  accom- 
plished Hebrew  scholar,  and  had  the  reputation 


THE  PASTORATE  IN  BOUND  BROOK,  N.  J.      49 

of  being  able  to  quote  almost  any  passage  of  the 
Old  Testament  in  the  original,  giving  chapter  and 
verse.  As  he  was  my  mother's  uncle  we  were 
made  welcome  in  his  home ;  and  it  was  very  pleas- 
ant to  drive  there  on  one  side  of  the  Raritan  river 
and  return  on  the  other.  He  was  a  very  acceptable 
preacher  and  addressed  my  own  congregation. 

On  the  tenth  of  February,  1878,  a  secretary 
of  the  American  Board  was  presenting  the  cause 
of  foreign  missions  in  our  church.  Just  before 
the  close  of  the  morning  service  the  pastor  was 
summoned  to  his  home ;  and  in  the  evening  the  sec- 
retary announced,  when  the  offering  was  about  to 
be  received,  that  a  son  had  been  born  to  the  pastor 
and  wife.  He  added  that  he  felt  so  sure  that  the 
**  Sunday  child"  would  become  a  minister  and  per- 
haps a  missionary,  that  the  Board  would  constitute 
him  an  honorary  member  for  the  sum  of  fifty  dol- 
lars, the  customary  clerical  rate  for  enrolling  a 
name  on  that  dignified  list.  In  due  time  there  was 
received  a  large  and  beautifully  engraved  certifi- 
cate of  the  admission  of  the  infant  to  that  fellow- 
ship. The  boy  did  indeed  become  a  student  volun- 
teer, after  having  lived  for  years  in  Mexico ;  but  he 
graduated  in  medicine  rather  than  in  theology,  in 
1904  returning  to  his  adopted  country  and  the 
people  whose  language  he  spoke.  However,  as  our 
denomination  had  no  medical  work  there,  he 
opened  a  private  office  and  soon  built  up  a  good 
practice  among  both  Mexicans  and  Americans.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  so  active  in  the  wovk  of  the 


50  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

church  in  several  departments,  particularly  tak- 
ing upon  himself  the  entire  charge  of  the  music 
for  the  English  congregation,  that  he  became  in 
effect  a  self-supporting  missionary  physician.  In 
view  of  his  usefulness  the  foreign  secretary  of  the 
Board  offered  to  have  his  name  enrolled  among 
those  of  its  missionaries  in  Mexico,  to  be  followed 
by  the  words,  in  parenthesis,  "not  under  com- 
mission." After  the  lapse  of  seven  years,  the 
overthrow  of  the  government  of  General  Diaz 
caused  the  exodus  from  the  city  of  many  of  his 
clientele,  obliging  him  to  remove  to  the  United 
States  in  order  to  support  his  family. 

The  summer  vacations  are  recalled  with  plea- 
sure. The  first  was  spent  at  Ithaca,  New  York, 
where  we  were  guests  of  the  daughter  of  Ezra 
Cornell,  founder  of  the  university  of  that  name. 
Her  father  was  no  longer  living,  but  she  occupied 
the  great  mansion  of  stone  which  he  built, 
over  whose  portal  was  sculptured  a  sentiment  sug- 
gestive of  the  genuine  and  the  enduring,  while 
each  one  of  the  rooms  within  was  finished  in 
some  natural  wood  different  from  that  used  in 
any  of  the  others.  The  university  campus  was 
close  at  hand,  inviting  acquaintance  with  the  most 
prominent  buildings  and  A\dth  the  residences  of 
certain  professors  of  note.  On  Sunday  we  at- 
tended service  in  the  beautiful  chapel  which  had 
been  presented  to  the  school  by  Mrs.  Pratt's 
brother,  Mr.  Alfred  S.  Barnes.  Day  after  day 
were  we  taken  by  our  generous  hostess,  who  was 


THE  PASTORATE  IN  BOUND  BROOK,  N.  J.      51 

an  intimate  friend  of  Mrs.  Eaton  at  Vassar  Col- 
lege, on  interesting  excursions ;  to  some  one  of  the 
famous  glens,  or  for  a  sail  on  the  lake  and  a  picnic 
near  a  vineyard  whose  clusters  of  luscious  grapes 
were  within  easy  reach. 

In  the  following  summer  w^as  undertaken  a 
pedestrian  tour  through  the  White  Mountains  in 
company  with  my  old  teacher,  John  J.  Copp  of 
Groton,  Connecticut.  Up  the  valleys  of  the  Merri- 
mac  and  the  Pemigewasset  rivers  we  trudged  with 
knapsacks  on  our  backs,  finding  lodging  at  night 
in  wayside  farmhouses,  in  some  of  which  we 
feasted  on  generous  bowls  of  bread  and  milk  and 
huckleberries;  and  through  forests  and  vividly 
green  intervales,  following  the  courses  of  moun- 
tain brooks  up  to  Franconia  Notch.  Mount  La- 
fayette was  scaled  on  horseback.  Then  starting  at 
the  foot  of  the  Presidential  Range,  we  climbed 
the  steep  trail,  mounting  successive  heights  until 
we  gained  the  top  of  Mount  Washington  itself, 
having  covered  the  eight  miles  in  four  hours  and 
thirty-five  minutes.  But  before  the  summit  was 
reached  we  were  overtaken  by  a  storm  of  rain 
which  turned  to  snow;  so  that  our  thirst  was 
quenched  by  draughts  of  the  ice  cold  water  which 
had  collected  in  the  depressions  of  the  rocks.  The 
Boston  papers  of  the  following  morning  reported 
having  experienced  the  hottest  day  of  the  season 
while  we  were  making  tracks  in  the  snow. 

The  third  vacation  was  passed  in  Virginia,  the 
three  of  us,  (for  Howard  w^as  now  a  sturdy  little 


52  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

fellow  of  eighteen  months),  going  by  steamer  from 
New  York  into  Chesapeake  Bay,  visiting  Norfolk, 
and  then  up  the  James  River  to  Riclmiond,  whence 
we  were  driven  fourteen  miles  to  picturesque  Car- 
bon Hill,  where  the  Torreys  were  living  in  planta- 
tion style,  Mr.  Torrey  being  in  charge  of  the  coke 
mines  in  which  Mr.  Pratt  was  interested,  and 
which  are  the  only  ones  of  the  kind  in  this  country. 
During  the  Civil  War  they  furnished  fuel  for  the 
famous  Tredegar  Iron  Works.  In  Richmond  were 
afforded  many  opportunities  to  become  acquainted 
with  persons  and  places  of  note  on  the  Confeder- 
ate side.  There  was  Colonel  Thomas  G.  Jackson 
who  was  an  officer  on  the  staff  of  General  Hood 
at  the  Battle  of  Gettysburg  where  he  was  wounded. 
He  knew  about  the  Iron  Brigade  to  which  my 
father  belonged.  He  was  proud  of  the  part  he  had 
in  hanging  John  Bro^vn,  of  whose  career  he  talked 
in  connection  with  showing  us  through  the  State 
Library  and  the  rooms  of  the  Southern  Historical 
Society.  He  was  one  of  fifty  Confederate  offi- 
cers who  were  placed  under  fire  in  our  fleet  off 
Charleston  during  a  period  of  sixty  days,  in  re- 
taliation for  the  holding  of  fifty  Union  officers 
in  a  Charleston  prison  while  our  guns  were  shell- 
ing that  city.  He  did  not  believe  in  *  *  kid  glove  fight- 
ing," adhering  rather  to  the  rule,  "KOI  all  you 
can. ' '  Another  interesting  person  was  Rev.  John 
W.  Jones,  chaplain  to  General  Robert  E.  Lee, 
who  was  curator  of  the  historical  rooms.  At  Grace 
Presbyterian  Church,  whose  pulpit  was  supplied 


THE  PASTORATE  IN  BOUND  BROOK,  N.  J.      53 

by  me  for  two  Sundays,  I  met  the  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday-school,  a  splendid  type  of  Christian 
gentleman,  who  had  been  so  prominent  in  the 
war  that  for  some  time  after  its  ending  he  was 
held  prisoner  by  the  Federal  government  in  Fort 
Lafayette. 

My  journeyings  included  visits  to  Petersburg 
and  the  scenes  of  the  prolonged  siege  in  which 
my  father's  regiment  took  part;  to  Lexington, 
where  I  saw  the  grave  of  General  ''Stonewall" 
Jackson  and  the  military  school  in  which  he  had 
been  instructor,  the  graves  of  General  Lee  and  his 
wife  in  the  basement  of  the  chapel  of  the  uni- 
versity   of    which    he    became    the    head    after 
peace  was  declared,  and  his  office  just  as  he  left  it, 
the  table  being  covered  with  letters,  pamphlets 
and  papers,  including  an  unfinished  manuscript 
which  was  intended  to  give  permission  to  certain 
students  to  visit  the  Natural  Bridge ;  and  to  White 
Sulphur  Springs  and  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Southern  Historical  Society,  where  reminiscent 
talks  or  impassioned  addresses  were  given  by  such 
representative  men  as  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee  and 
General  Chalmers  who  was  next  in  command  to 
General  Forrest.    On  the  journey  to  the  Springs 
by  stagecoach,  among  my  fellow  passengers  were 
two  sisters,  one  of  whom  was  a  widow  accom- 
panied by  four  children.    They  courteously  gave 
me   some  useful  information  in  regard  to  that 
popular  resort,  and  when  they  learned  that  their 
chance  acquaintance  was  a  Mr.  Eaton,  they  said: 


54  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

"We  knew  of  a  northern  minister  of  that  name 
who  did  us  a  great  kindness.  Our  brother  was 
wounded  at  Gettysburg  and  taken  prisoner;  we 
could  learn  nothing  of  him  for  six  months  after 
that  battle,  until  there  was  effected  an  exchange  of 
prisoners,  and  a  friend  told  us  where  he  was.  We 
tried  to  get  some  money  to  him,  but  failed.  He  fell 
ill,  and  two  months  later,  March  17,  1864,  he  died. 
But  before  the  end  came,  that  Reverend  Mr.  Eaton 
wrote  for  him  a  letter  to  one  of  us,  conveying  his 
dying  message."  One  of  the  ladies  still  treasured 
the  letter  and  described  very  accurately  the  pen- 
manship, adding  that  the  missive  was  "like  balm 
to  a  wounded  spirit,"  and  she  could  never  ade- 
quately express  her  feeling  of  gratitude  to  my 
father.  When  we  parted  at  Natural  Bridge,  she 
sent  to  him  her  loving  remembrances. 

The  subject  of  General  Chalmers'  address 
was  the  career  of  General  N.  B.  Forrest,  who  was 
abhorred  by  us  of  the  North  for  what  he  did  upon 
the  taking  of  Fort  Pillow,  slaying  both  its  white 
defenders  and  the  colored  troops,  including  women 
and  children.  While  General  Sherman  was  guilt- 
less of  a  similiar  atrocity,  the  southerners  who 
recall  the  burning  of  Atlanta  and  the  other  losses 
they  suffered  in  connection  with  the  "March  to 
the  Sea,"  do  not  have  any  more  admiration  for 
the  leader  of  that  expedition  than  do  we  north- 
erners cherish  for  the  memory  of  General  For- 
rest. However,  years  ago  those  deeds  of  hate 
and  wanton  destruction  were  forgiven  by  the  men 


THE  PASTORATE  IN  BOUND  BROOK,  N.  J.      55 

wlio  fought,  whether  they  wore  the  blue  or  the 
gray. 

By  the  end  of  the  fourth  year  of  our  residence 
in  Bound  Brook  my  healtli  had  become  seriously 
impaired,  owing  to  the  miasma  generated  in  the 
low  basin  east  of  the  town  by  the  damming  up  of  a 
small  brook  to  furnish  power  to  a  flour  mill. 
When  the  store  of  water  was  exhausted,  the  rank 
vegetation  of  that  basin  was  exposed  to  the  hot 
sun  of  summer,  with  tlie  result  that  many  of  the 
townspeople  were  sufferers  from  intermittent 
fever.  Years  later  the  miniature  swamp  was 
drained,  restoring  healthful  conditions.  But  in 
my  case  the  harm  had  been  done ;  and  in  the  slug- 
gish state  of  both  body  and  mind  the  work  required 
in  pulpit  and  in  parish  became  a  burden  not  easy 
to  bear.  On  a  Sunday  morning  my  resignation  of 
the  pastorate  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  one  of 
the  deacons,  to  be  read  at  the  close  of  the  service 
after  my  retirement  from  the  scene. 

In  the  afternoon  there  waited  upon  me  a  com- 
mittee to  offer  a  leave  of  absence  for  one  year, 
with  salary  continued,  while  the  church  would  be 
responsible  for  obtaining  ministers  to  fill  the  pul- 
pit. Such  kindness  was  overwhelming,  and  in  a 
way  embarrassing;  for  the  decision  to  ask  for 
permanent  release  from  service  had  not  been 
made  hastily.  But  the  friends  were  emphatic  in 
their  refusal  even  to  consider  a  resignation  until 
after  the  proposed  long  period  of  rest  had  been 
tried.     Finally  there  was  effected  a  compromise 


56  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

through  my  acceptance  of  a  vacation  for  six 
months;  and  the  salary  was  paid  in  advance  for 
that  period. 

How  the  time  was  spent  will  be  told  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapter.  For  the  present  it  is  enough  to 
record  the  fact  that  the  work  of  the  pastorate  in 
Bound  Brook  was  resumed  in  good  faith,  although 
not  without  some  misgivings.  As  the  summer  of 
1881  approached,  the  former  feeling  of  lassitude 
and  other  symptoms  of  the  ailment  which  had 
not  been  fully  understood  before,  returned. 
Again  was  my  resignation  tendered,  and  this 
time  it  was  accepted  by  a  unanimous  vote.  With- 
in the  next  few  weeks  were  made  some  sixty  appli- 
cations, either  by  ministers  themselves  or  by  their 
friends  speaking  or  writing  for  them,  for  oppor- 
tunity to  fill  the  vacant  place.  All  this  was  in 
striking  contrast  to  the  situation  in  the  far  North- 
west, where  it  was  so  difficult  to  find  men  of  capac- 
ity and  the  right  spirit,  to  organize  the  little 
bands  of  believers  scattered  through  settlements 
that  were  coming  into  existence  along  the  rivers 
and  in  the  fertile  valleys  of  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington and  on  the  shores  of  Puget  Sound,  and  to 
help  make  them  nurseries  of  strong  churches  for 
the  coming  years,  inspirational  centers  of  genu- 
inely Christian  community  life  for  the  future  teem- 
ing population. 


CHAPTER  V 

A  TRIANGULAK  VOYAGE  UNDER  SAIL  AND  STEAM 

An  unexpected  vacation  of  six  months  had  been 
proffered  and  accepted;  it  remained  to  decide  as 
to  the  best  use  of  it.  Mr.  Pratt  advised  me  to  take 
a  long  ocean  voyage,  and  offered  to  care  for  my 
wife  and  little  son  in  his  own  home.  In  order  to 
obtain  the  largest  amount  of  rest  and  sea  air  for 
the  money,  passage  was  engaged  on  the  barque 
Nina  Sheldon,  of  eight  hundred  tons  register, 
which  in  July  sailed  for  Buenos  Ayres,  Argentine 
Republic,  with  the  expectation  of  arriving  at  that 
port  within  fifty  to  sixty  days.  In  the  tiny  cabin 
were  four  staterooms  occupied  respectively  by  the 
captain,  the  first  and  the  second  mate  and  the  one 
passenger;  and  three  times  a  day  was  the  table 
laid  for  ''us  four  and  no  more."  It  was  a  lonely 
course  we  followed,  in  all  the  voyage  having  op- 
portunity to  exchange  audible  greetings  with  but 
one  vessel,  and  communicate  with  two  others  by 
means  of  signal  flags. 

The  deck  of  so  small  a  vessel  was  not  elevated 
much  above  the  water,  and  therefore  furnished 
to  one  who  spent  upon  it  nearly  all  the  hours  of 
daylight  a  most  advantageous  position  for  observ- 

57 


58  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

ing  marine  life  and  the  varying  phases  of  the 
ocean  itself.  The  gambols  of  porpoises  and  the 
spouting  of  whales  became  familiar  sights.  Occa- 
sionally a  dolphin  was  drawn  up  out  of  its  element 
and  supplied  a  delicacy  for  our  table,  although 
it  seemed  almost  barbarous  to  take  the  life  of  an 
animal  which  in  dying  displayed  to  our  astonished 
gaze  all  the  hues  of  the  rainbow.  In  the  near 
vicinity  would  be  descried  Mother  Carey's  chick- 
ens, Portugese  men  of  war,  squids,  sea  geese  and, 
when  we  were  within  three  hundred  miles  of  the 
coast  of  Africa,  the  gulls  of  tireless  wing.  It  was 
exhilarating  to  witness  the  sudden  emergence  from 
the  water  of  shoals  of  flying  fish  that  would  skim 
smftly  along  just  above  the  surface,  and  as  sud- 
denly return  to  their  habitat.  Occasionally  some 
of  these  would  alight  on  the  deck,  and  they  were 
a  welcome  addition  to  our  rather  monotonous 
menu,  having  a  flavor  similar  to  that  of  mountain 
trout. 

Nearing  the  equator  we  entered  the  region  of 
calms  and  of  copious  rains  called  ''The  Dol- 
drums," much  of  the  time  the  heavens  being  black 
with  low  hanging  clouds,  from  which  came  vivid 
flashes  of  lightning  followed  by  crashing  thunder 
that  reverberated  like  the  sound  of  heavy  artillery. 
Because  of  the  heat  and  the  moisture,  our  very 
shoes  gathered  mildew  when  left  unused  for  a  few 
days.  Impatiently  would  the  captain  pace  the 
deck,  stopping  now  and  then  to  try  to  "whistle 
up  a  breeze."    On  one  occasion,  when  the  barque 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  59 

was  moving  slowly  forward  and  hope  stirred  in 
our  breasts,  he  discerned  in  the  dim  distance  a 
sail  far  astern,  and  at  once  expressed  his  fear 
that  that  vessel  might  ''steal  our  breeze."  At 
length  he  became  seriously  ill ;  and  the  first  mate 
sought  my  assistance  in  making  out  the  daily 
"reckoning."  When  the  sick  man  did  not  im- 
prove, that  officer  confided  to  me  his  belief  that 
quite  likely  we  might  have  to  bury  the  captain  at 
sea.  However,  he  did  recover  some  degree  of 
strength,  and  survived  the  return  voyage ;  but  he 
had  to  be  carried  ashore  at  Newport,  Rhode 
Island,  his  home,  and  did  not  again  sail  the  ship 
of  which  he  was  chief  owner. 

As  we  proceeded  southward  the  constellation 
of  the  Southern  Cross  came  into  view  by  night; 
and  by  day  my  shadow  on  the  deck  began  to  be  cast 
in  a  direction  opposite  to  that  with  which  the  most 
of  us  are  familiar.  We  had  entered  upon  the  late 
winter  season  of  the  southern  hemisphere ;  and  an 
overcoat  was  needed  for  protection  against  the 
cold.  In  that  invigorating  air  the  spirit  of  ad- 
venture revived;  and  one  September  afternoon 
I  decided  to  try  climbing  the  shrouds,  in  the  hope 
of  at  least  making  the  main-top.  The  ascent  was 
made  with  care,  not  using  the  ''rat  lines"  which 
sometimes  give  way,  and  pausing  occasionally  to 
look  around  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  my  head 
level.  Gaining  fresh  courage  at  the  main-top,  I 
went  on  to  the  topmast  crosstrees  and  sat  upon 
them,   and  was   cheered  by   an   officer   on  deck. 


60  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

From  that  elevation,  another  barque  in  the  oflBng 
seemed  to  rise  much  higher  than  usual  out  of  the 
water,  and  the  circle  of  the  visible  sea  had  grown 
larger. 

Two  days  later,  near  sunset,  was  heard  the  cry, 
''A  whale!"  AVe  heard  him  ''blow"  and  saw  his 
huge,  dark  bulk  heave  itself  out  of  the  water  al- 
most under  the  bow  of  the  vessel.  For  more  than 
an  hour  did  he  continue  to  play  around  in  our  vi- 
cinity. The  men  said : ' '  A  whale  brings  wind ' ' ;  and 
sure  enough,  within  a  few  hours  it  began  to  blow, 
the  sea  roughened,  and  the  following  day  the  decks 
were  wet  mth  spray  as  we  dashed  onward.  From 
the  supper  table,  in  spite  of  the  protecting  racks, 
were  swept  to  the  floor  many  of  the  dishes  before 
we  had  a  chance  to  partake  of  their  contents.  We 
were  making  ten  knots  an  hour  by  the  log,  more 
with  aid  of  the  current,  and  coming  within  fifty 
miles  of  land.  Next  to  the  last  evening  occurred 
a  phosphorescent  display  which  in  truth  might  be 
termed  magnificent.  Every  breaking  crest  of  a 
wave  was  a  glitter  of  light.  The  log-line  drew 
a  pencilling  of  light  for  many  feet  astern,  and  the 
vessel  itself  appeared  to  be  plowing  through  liquid 
fire.  It  was  a  damp,  cloudy  night  w^ith  no  moon, 
but  not  very  dark,  because  of  this  display.  In 
such  circumstances,  said  the  captain,  it  is  difficult 
to  distinguish  the  lights  of  an  approaching  vessel. 
He  explained  the  phenomenon  by  reference  to 
*  '■  the  amount  of  oxygen  in  the  air ! ' ' 

Before  the  night  came  on  we  saw  a  great  alba- 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  61 

tross  sailing  about  majestically,  without  once  flap- 
ping his  wings, — clothed  with  dark  feathers  above 
and  pure  white  beneath.  Early  in  the  morning 
the  captain  called  to  me,  ''Come  on  deck  quick." 
There  was  to  be  seen  clearly  defined  a  line  be- 
tween the  blue  ocean  and  the  green  water  of  the 
Rio  de  la  Plata.  It  looked  as  if  there  were  actually 
a  ridge  between  the  two,  caused  by  the  current  of 
the  stream  pushing  against  the  ocean  current 
made  by  the  wind.  We  sighted  Lobos  Island  and 
then  the  lighthouse  on  East  Point,  and  were  soon 
sailing  on  an  even  keel  up  the  broad  river  whose 
water  now  was  yellow  and  muddy  looking.  The 
banks  w^ere  low  and  without  interest  after  passing 
the  city  of  Montevideo ;  and  the  sailing  directions 
made  mention  of  a  clump  of  trees"  or  ''an  ombu 
tree,"  or  "a  few  poplar  trees,"  or  "  a  hut,"  as 
objects  to  be  sighted!  Indeed,  when  our  course 
lay  near  one  of  the  banks  we  could  not  see  the 
other,  because  even  as  far  up  as  Buenos  Ayres 
the  river  is  twenty  miles  wide. 

On  the  morning  of  September  27th  our  vessel 
anchored  in  the  "outer  road,"  four  miles  from 
shore  in  deep  water,  and  the  sole  passenger  was 
transported  in  a  lighter  and  next  in  a  small  boat 
to  the  landing ;  for  not  then  were  in  existence  the 
great  wharves  which  have  since  been  constructed 
to  meet  the  demands  of  the  most  populous  city  in 
South  America.  It  was  seventy-six  days  since  I 
had  gone  on  board  the  Nina  Sheldon,  during  which 
time  a  completely  rigged  model  of  her  had  been 


62  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

made  for  me  by  the  first  mate ;  and  for  the  period 
of  seventy-two  days  in  succession  had  we  been 
out  of  sight  of  land.  Our  fresh  meat  and  vege- 
tables all  had  been  consumed;  the  last  chicken  in 
the  coops  sacrificed ;  and  for  several  days  had  the 
cook  been  giving  us  ' '  cracker  hash ' '  which  is  a  con- 
coction of  tinned  meat  and  soda  biscuit.  With 
what  a  thrill  of  joy  did  I  tread  the  earth  once 
more,  and  in  the  spring  of  the  year  too,  with  the 
streams  running  bankful  and  flowers  blooming 
on  every  hand! 

The  American  Minister,  General  Osborne, 
showed  me  courtesies  that  were  greatly  appre- 
ciated ;  as  did  also  Dr.  Thompson  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Mission,  and  the  assistant  pastor  of 
the  Scotch  Presbyterian  Church,  Rev.  J.  W.  Flem- 
ming,  recently  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Edinburgh,  who  with  his  wife  entertained  me  at 
dinner  in  their  charming  home  in  the  near  suburb 
of  Flores.  All  around  were  attractive  villas,  in- 
cluding the  residence  of  the  Argentine  President, 
embowered  in  callas,  geraniums  and  foliage  plants, 
while  wistarias  hung  their  purple  clusters  in  thick 
masses  over  verandas.  My  host  informed  me  that 
all  trees  and  shrubs  that  were  introduced  there 
grew  with  wonderful  rapidity;  indeed,  the  aspect 
of  things  in  general  vividly  recalled  what  had  been 
seen  in  California. 

It  was  surprising  to  find  so  large  and  prosper- 
ous a  city,  with  imposing  public  buildings,  at- 
tractive parks  and  a  multitude  of  horse  cars  and 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  63 

carriages  for  hire  traversing  the  streets  in  all  di- 
rections. The  milkmen  were  found  to  be  Basques 
from  the  Pyrenees,  who  were  accustomed  to  ride 
into  town  from  their  ranches  on  horseback,  with 
two  or  three  cans  hanging  on  each  side  of  the  beast. 
As  a  result  of  the  continual  shaking  of  the  contents 
by  the  way,  there  was  usually  to  be  found  upon 
arrival  butter  in  the  mouth  of  the  containers.  If 
not,  the  milkman  would  trot  around  the  streets  for 
a  while  longer  until  the  butter  came;  when  he 
would  collect  it  in  a  clean,  white  cloth,  and  sell 
to  his  customers  both  milk  and  butter  from  the 
same  can.  The  milk  tasted  as  good  as  that  which 
is  usually  served  by  the  creamery  wagons  calling 
at  our  houses;  and  the  sweet  butter  was  as  deli- 
cious as  the  kind  which  is  furnished  in  Switzer- 
land. 

After  a  week's  acquaintance  with  the  novel  life 
and  surroundings  there,  it  was  necessary  to  reem- 
bark,  but  not  on  a  sailing  vessel.  However,  it 
was  not  jDossible  to  obtain  passage  to  New  York 
by  steamer ;  the  only  practicable  way  was  to  make 
the  journey  via  Europe.  Accordingly  my  reserva- 
tion was  made  on  the  steamship  Van  Dyck  of  the 
Lamport  and  Holt  Line,  bound  for  Antwerp,  but 
which  would  call  at  Southampton.  It  stopped  for 
an  entire  day  at  Montevideo,  giving  opportunity 
for  exploring  the  capital  of  Uruguay ;  a  city  with 
wide,  clean  streets  and  fine  buildings  in  the  con- 
struction of  which  had  been  used  much  Italian 
marble.    The  public  theatre  was  like  a  palace  with- 


64  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

out ;  within  was  a  great  auditorium  with  five  tiers 
of  galleries,  the  topmost  one  being  for  men  ex- 
clusively, the  next  for  women,  and  the  remainder 
divided  into  boxes.  It  was  flanked  on  one  side  by 
the  public  library,  and  on  the  other  by  a  museum. 
At  the  *'bolsa"  or  exchange  the  most  marked  fea- 
ture was  a  lofty  rotunda,  on  the  walls  of  which 
were  displayed  the  flags  and  coats  of  arms  of  all 
nations.  In  the  cathedral,  whose  high  altar  and 
pulpits  are  fine  examples  of  wood  cai'ving,  was 
found  a  shrine  dedicated  to  a  black  saint,  whose 
name  has  been  given  to  many  of  the  Negroes  living 
in  the  city.  Of  the  many  street  scenes,  perhaps  the 
most  novel  was  the  driving  side  by  side  of  three 
mares  past  some  of  the  residences  to  furnish  milk 
for  infants  and  invalids. 

Our  steamer's  cargo  consisted  mainly  of  hides, 
horns,  tallow,  dried  blood,  peanut  cake,  honey, 
flour,  bran  and  minerals.  Also  there  had  been 
taken  aboard  at  Buenos  Ayres  many  heavy  boxes 
of  the  precious  metals,  in  addition  to  two  hundred 
and  twenty  thousand  pounds  sterling  in  silver  from 
the  mines  of  Bolivia,  which  the  captain  had 
brought  down  from  his  voyage  up  the  Parana  and 
Paraguay  rivers.  From  Rosario  he  had  brought 
a  ''river  pig"  for  the  zoological  gardens  of  Ant- 
werp. We  felt  compassion  for  the  forlorn  little 
beast  which  was  kept  chained,  instead  of  being 
free  to  follow  its  instincts  to  burrow  in  the  river 
bank,  and  swim  in  the  water.  It  had  a  big  snout, 
rather  small  ears,  long  and  coarse  brown  hair  or 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  65 

bristles,  and  its  feet  seemed  to  be  a  cross  between 
the  hoofs  of  a  pig  and  the  web-feet  of  a  duck. 
There  was  a  part  of  the  cargo  which  was  to  be- 
come less  by  degrees  as  we  proceeded  on  the  voy- 
age, and  which  particularly  interested  one  who 
had  been  reduced  to  very  short  rations  on  the 
sailing  vessel.  It  was  reassuring  to  see  many 
quarters  of  beef,  forty  sheep,  coops  of  chickens 
and  rabbits,  and  uncounted  ducks,  geese,  turkeys 
and  pigeons. 

As  we  steamed  steadily  northward,  no  longer 
at  the  mercy  of  uncertain  winds,  and  viewed  our 
course  from  a  deck  so  much  higher  above  the  water 
than  was  that  of  the  Nina  Sheldon,  and  having 
the  attention  somewhat  diverted  by  the  presence 
of  other  passengers  as  well  as  of  a  much  larger 
crew,  I  realized  that  it  would  not  be  possible 
under  such  circumstances  to  gain  the  acquaintance 
wath  the  sea  and  its  denizens  which  had  been  ac- 
quired during  the  preceding  voyage  under  sail 
for  almost  eleven  weeks.  During  the  first  few  days 
there  was  actually  a  feeling  of  being  hurried  along, 
and  that  the  time  might  be  too  short  for  all  the 
reading  and  writing  that  had  been  planned,  be- 
fore landing  on  England's  shore! 

The  next  port  we  made  was  the  wonderfully 
spacious  and  beautiful  land-locked  harbor  of  Rio 
de  Janeiro,  where  Consul  General  Thomas  Adam- 
son  gave  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  son-in-law  of 
his  intimate  friend,  Julius  H.  Pratt,  urging  me  to 
remain  for  a  week  and  continue  my  journey  by 


66  LIFE    UNDER    TWO    FLAGS 

another  steamer.  His  hospitality  was  accepted 
for  the  two  days  our  ship  remained  in  port,  and 
his  entire  time  was  devoted  to  showing  me  the  me- 
tropolis of  Brazil  and  its  environs.  It  would  be  im- 
possible within  the  limits  of  this  narrative  to  give 
an  account  of  all  the  objects  of  interest  which 
were  viewed  in  those  two  days,  or  even  to  tran- 
scribe to  these  pages  the  voluminous  notes  that 
were  made  when  the  rare  experiences  were  yet 
freshly  in  mind.  But  brief  mention  must  be  made 
of  the  visit  to  the  botanical  gardens  which  gath- 
ered within  one  enclosure  all  that  seemed  most 
characteristic  of  tropic  growth.  From  the  en- 
trance there  stretched  straight  before  us  an  ave- 
nue of  imperial  palms  for  a  distance  of  nine  hun- 
dred feet,  having  the  center  occupied  by  a  foun- 
tain, with  encircling  vases  of  flowers.  The  gray 
trunks  rose  to  a  majestic  height  and  terminated 
in  stems  of  tender  growth  which  shaded  from  dark 
green  to  bright  yellow.  The  convex  surface  of 
each  stem  seemed  to  be  polished  like  burnished 
metal,  and  it  shone  with  rainbow  hues.  Topping 
each  tree  was  the  foliage,  in  the  form  of  a  cluster 
of  mammoth  plumes  like  ostrich  feathers.  To  the 
right  and  the  left,  at  different  angles,  were  ave- 
nues bordered  with  other  kinds  of  trees,  one  to  an 
avenue.  Noticeable  among  them  was  the  mango, 
on  account  of  its  wide-branching  limbs  and  dark 
foliage  casting  an  impenetrable  shade,  and  because 
of  its  unfamiliar  fruit.  Bewildering  was  the  va- 
riety of  palms.     Bananas,  coffee  trees,  bamboo 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  67 

thickets,  and  many  other  trees,  plants  and  slirubs 
never  imagined  before,  were  on  every  hand. 

Through  The  Doldrums  we  passed  so  quickly 
that  little  was  seen  of  the  sea  and  sky  which  had 
been  observed  so  anxiously  while  the  barque  lay 
becalmed  for  weeks,  two  months  before.  By  the 
Cape  de  Verde  Islands  and  the  Canaries  in  suc- 
cession we  steamed,  until  we  reached  Funchal  in 
the  Madeiras,  where  the  ship  had  to  be  coaled,  and 
we  enjoyed  opportunity  to  observe  features  of  the 
picturesque  island  and  the  quaint  town  rambling 
up  the  abrupt  side  of  the  mountain  which  faced  us. 
Off  Cape  Finisterre  we  were  overtaken  by  a  sudden 
gale  of  wind  mth  a  rising  of  the  waves  which  at 
times  broke  over  the  deck,  so  that  two  men  were 
placed  at  the  wheel,  all  portholes  tightly  closed, 
and  the  skylight  covered  with  tarpaulins,  the  cap- 
tain being  obliged  frequently  to  change  his 
clothes  because  he  was  so  often  drenched  by  the 
salt  water. 

At  the  end  of  October,  thirty  days  from  Buenos 
Aires,  and  on  a  Sunday  morning,  was  our  vessel 
made  fast  to  the  wharf  at  Southampton ;  and  I  lost 
no  time  in  boarding  a  train  for  Winchester,  in 
order  to  attend  public  worship  there.  It  was  a 
walk  of  two  miles  to  the  church,  near  the  Saint 
Cross  Hospital,  founded  by  Bishop  Henry  de  Blois 
in  the  year  1136,  part  of  the  way  being  a  path 
through  green  fields.  After  nearly  four  months 
passed  upon  the  wide  waste  of  waters,  it  was  in- 
expressibly delightful  to  tread  the  solid  ground 


68  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

of  Old  England  so  full  of  rich  associations  with 
past  centuries.  There  was  an  exuberant  song  in 
my  heart  while  my  lips  repeated  the  words  of  the 
familiar  hymn: 

*'0  day  of  rest  and  gladness, 
0  day  of  joy  and  light, 
0  balm  of  care  and  sadness, 
Most  beautiful,  most  bright." 

But  the  great  attraction  was  the  vesper  service 
in  the  famous  cathedral,  in  its  dimensions  the 
longest  of  any  in  England  and  one  of  the  most 
ancient,  showing  in  both  the  tower  and  the  nave 
remains  of  early  Norman  architecture.  It  was  a 
novel  experience  to  be  assigned  a  seat  in  one  of 
the  stalls  of  the  choir,  alongside  the  singers,  who 
gave  us  as  their  principal  number  an  anthem  by 
Handel.  Because  the  elaborate  musical  service 
was  very  popular  with  the  public,  and  to  avoid  an 
anti-climax  through  the  thinning  out  of  the  congre- 
gation, the  sermon  was  put  first.  Consequently 
when  the  excellent  discourse  was  ended,  in  came 
the  people  of  the  toA\Ti,  troop  after  troop,  until 
there  was  gathered  a  large  assemblage ;  then  fol- 
lowed the  service  mth  intoning  of  prayer  and 
psalm,  singing  by  choir  and  people,  and  through  it 
all  the  support  of  a  rich-toned  organ. 

The  niches  in  the  altar  screen  are  empty,  hav- 
ing been  rifled  of  their  images  of  gold  and  silver 
in  Cromwell's  timej  but  the  vast  structure  abounds 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  69 

in  objects  of  rare  interest,  such  as  the  old  baptis- 
mal font  of  black  marble  with  its  sculptured  em- 
blems of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  fire— a  dove  and  a 
salamander — chantrys  of  the  bishops,  Wykham, 
Wilberforce  and  others,  and  the  tomb  of  Isaac 
Walton.  In  the  market  stands  the  Holy  Cross, 
with  statues  of  King  Alfred  and  other  ancient 
worthies;  in  the  museum  is  seen  the  original 
''Winchester  bushel"  in  the  form  of  a  shallow 
metallic  bowl  lifted  upon  a  standard  and  provided 
with  handles  like  ears.  Near  the  west  gate  of  the 
city  is  a  memorial  obelisk  erected  over  the  stone 
on  which  merchandise  for  sale  was  placed  during 
the  raging  of  the  Great  Plague,  payment  for  the 
same  having  to  be  made  by  means  of  coins  which 
were  thrown  into  receptacles  filled  with  water. 
Farther  away  rises  the  bare  Saint  Catherine's 
Hill  which  is  surmounted  by  a  thick  clump  of 
trees  and  wears,  as  if  it  were  a  huge  collar  about 
the  neck,  a  circular  excavation  that  was  made  by 
the  Romans. 

It  was  too  late  in  the  season  for  attempting 
a  general  trip  through  the  country;  and  for  sev- 
eral weeks  my  close  attention  was  given  to  Lon- 
don and  vicinity,  making  a  systematic  study  of  the 
objects  which  are  sought  out  by  the  ordinary 
tourist,  as  well  as  of  some  that  are  not  generally 
known.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  there  on 
Lord  Mayor's  Day  and  witness  the  long  proces- 
sion of  those  who  accompanied  the  high  official, 
the  various  guilds  and  aldermen  with  their  ban- 


70  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

ners,  and  the  mayor  himself  carried  in  a  gilded 
coach  of  state  that  was  dra\\Ti  by  six  caparisoned 
horses,  and  attended  by  bewigged  and  powdered 
footmen  in  gorgeous  livery  adorned  with  gold  lace. 
Another  event  of  interest  was  a  wedding  in  high 
life  to  which  a  fortunate  chance  introduced  me, 
as  I  was  passing  St.  Margaret's  on  my  way  to 
Westminster  Abbey  and  found  a  small  crowd  of 
the  curious  waiting  at  the  gate.  It  was  the  marriage 
of  Lady  Margaret  Beaumont  to  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons.  The  bridal  pair  arrived  in  a 
carriage  with  but  little  less  of  pomp  and  circum- 
stance than  that  which  distinguished  the  Lord 
Mayor,  following  the  many  carriages  which  had 
brought  the  invited  guests.  One  of  these  was  an 
elderly  lady  who  wore  an  India  cape  or  shawl 
that  was  stiff  and  glistening  with  thread  of  gold, 
so  that  she  was  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes  as  she 
passed  into  the  church.  The  policeman  on  guard 
at  the  entrance  yielded  with  good  nature  to  the 
plea  of  the  American  that  he  be  permitted  to  wit- 
ness an  English  wedding  before  sailing  for  home. 
The  service  was  read  with  great  deliberation  by 
Canon  Farrar  and  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury; and  after  the  ceremony,  while  the  members 
of  the  bridal  party  were  occupied  in  affixing  their 
signatures  to  the  necessary  documents,  the  six 
bridesmaids  who  wore  gowns  of  crimson  hue  passed 
down  the  aisles  bearing  large  shallow  pasteboard 
boxes  containing  rosettes  of  satin  ribbon  and 
orange  blossoms  fitted  with  a  pin,  and  distributed 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  71 

them  freely,  even  to  some  poor  people  who  were 
present,  and  with  them  decorated  eight  or  ten 
soldiers  in  scarlet  uniform  who  also  were  there. 
On  the  day  following  the  Presidential  election 
in  the  United  States,  we  learned  that  the  popular 
choice  had  fallen  upon  James  A.  Garfield;  but  it 
was  disappointing  to  have  the  event  receive  the 
slight  attention  of  but  an  inch  or  two  of  space  in 
the  metropolitan  newspapers.    But  the  day  of  such 
indifference  in  regard  to  events  in  our  own  country 
is  past ;  it  has  become  a  matter  of  great  concern  to 
England  to  learn  the  drift  of  opinion  in  this  Re- 
public of  the  western  world ;  and  all  sincere  lovers 
of  universal  brotherhood  and  peace  hope  and  pray 
that  no  serious  misunderstanding  may  arise  be- 
tween two  peoples  who  have  so  much  in  common 
to  make  them  friends  and  partners  in  the  exalted 
mission  of  promoting  the  welfare  of  humanity. 
A  stay  at  Windsor  began  with  attendance  upon 
morning  prayers  in  the  chapel  of  Eton  school. 
Only  on  a  few  set  days  in  the  year  are  visitors  ad- 
mitted to  the  class  rooms;  but  there  was  oppor- 
tunity for  exchange  of  a  few  words  with  some  of 
the  students,  and  to  observe  them  at  play.    In  the 
librai*y  were  shown  well  preserved  parchments 
containing  bulls  of  the  Pope  in  regard  to  the 
school,  other  documents  bearing  the  signatures 
of  kings  who  could  not  write  and  therefore  made 
their  mark  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  or  affixed  the 
print  of  their  thumb.    There  was  the  signature  of 
Henry  the  Eighth  made  by  an  engraved  stamp 


72  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

which  he  used  after  he  became  too  fat  to  hold  a 
pen.  Several  hours  were  spent  in  going  through 
the  Castle  and  visiting  St.  George's  Chapel  and 
Albert  Chapel,  while  from  the  top  of  the  round 
tower  or  **keep"  was  obtained  a  wide  view  of  the 
valley  of  the  Thames,  the  field  of  Runnymede, 
Virginia  Water,  the  Albert  mausoleum  at  Frog- 
more  and  Stoke  Pogis.  Near  the  day's  close  came 
the  w^alk  of  two  or  three  miles  from  Slough  station 
to  the  country  churchyard  through  avenues  of 
noble  trees.  A  slab  in  the  wall  of  the  moss-grown 
and  ivy-covered  church  informs  the  visitor  that 
here  is  interred  the  poet's  body.  At  a  little  dis- 
tance, in  the  park,  is  an  old-fashioned  coffin  of 
stone  lifted  upon  a  pedestal  and  bearing  upon 
three  of  its  sides  selections  from  the  Elegy,  while 
on  the  fourth  is  the  inscription:  ''This  monument 
in  honor  of  Thomas  Gray  was  erected  a.d.  1797, 
among  the  scenes  celebrated  by  that  great  lyric 
and  elegiac  poet.  He  died  July  30,  1771,  and  lies 
unnoticed  in  the  churchyard  adjoining,  under  the 
tombstone  on  which  he  piously  and  pathetically 
recorded  the  interment  of  his  aunt  and  his  la- 
mented mother." 

For  the  homeward  voyage  was  made  a  reserva- 
tion on  the  steamer  Queen,  a  staunch  vessel  of 
the  National  Line.  Her  seaworthiness  was  put  to 
a  severe  test  by  a  gale  blowing  from  the  west  for 
five  days,  with  ''a  heavy  head  sea,"  on  each  one 
of  which  the  record  of  the  ship's  run  was  worse 
than  on  the  previous  day.    Occasionally  a  wave 


A  TRIANGULAR  VOYAGE  73 

would  break  over  the  deck,  so  that  it  was  necessary 
to  cover  the  skylights,  close  the  doors  of  exit  to 
passengers,  and  light  the  saloons  with  lamps  by 
day  as  well  as  night.  On  one  occasion  a  stewardess 
passing  through  the  dining  saloon  was  thrown 
completely  over  one  of  the  tables.  Women  and 
children  were  hurled  violently  from  their  berths 
and  suffered  bruises.  On  one  of  the  mornings 
during  that  fearful  storm  the  call  to  breakfast  was 
answered  by  myself  alone;  and  when  the  head 
stewardess  expressed  surprise  at  my  appearance, 
this  was  explained  by  the  statement  that  I  had 
been  spending  four  months  at  sea  beginning  with 
the  long  voyage  in  the  smokeless  barque,  which 
had  gradually  accustomed  me  to  life  on  the  ocean 
wave.  Finally  at  the  end  of  sixteen  days  we  en- 
tered the  harbor  of  New  York,  but  with  the  entire 
vessel,  the  rigging  as  well  as  the  decks,  sheathed 
in  ice.  Then  was  formed  the  resolution  never 
again  to  attempt  a  winter  passage  across  the  At- 
lantic. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE 

In  retiring  from  the  pastorate  in  New  Jersey 
the  first  thing  to  be  sought  was  restoration  to 
health  as  preparing  the  way  for  further  useful- 
ness ;  and  the  bracing  air  of  New  England  near  the 
sea  appeared  to  offer  what  was  needed.  Andover 
Seminary  had  just  announced  for  its  graduates 
and  for  such  as  miglit  wish  to  come  from  similar 
institutions,  a  fourth  year  of  study,  to  be  called  the 
Advanced  Class.  So  to  Andover  w^e  removed  at 
the  beginning  of  September,  and  established  a  tem- 
porary home  under  the  elms  in  an  ancient  house 
with  a  gambrel  roof,  which  had  sheltered  a  suc- 
cession of  married  students,  some  of  whom  became 
foreign  missionaries. 

Lectures  were  given  to  our  class  by  such  men  as 
William  J.  Tucker,  afterward  president  of  Dart- 
mouth College,  George  T.  Ladd,  who  later  was  for 
many  years  professor  at  Yale,  Albert  E.  Dunning, 
so  long  editor  of  ''The  Congregationalist,"  and 
Joseph  T.  Duryea,  pastor  of  the  Central  Church, 
Boston.  The  librarian  in  Brechin  Hall  was  always 
ready  to  direct  us  to  the  books  which  would  be 
most  helpful  to  our  researches  in  any  line  of  study. 

74 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE   75 

Generations  of  students  owed  a  large  debt  of  grati- 
tude to  William  L.  Ropes  whose  courtesy  was  un- 
failing, and  who  almost  gave  the  impression  that 
we  were  doing  him  a  favor  when  we  made  some 
draft  upon  his  wide  and  thorough  acquaintance 
with  the  treasures  stored  in  the  alcoves  of  the 
library. 

Near  the  end  of  the  winter  came  an  invitation 
to  preach  in  the  West  Roxbury  Church,  Boston. 
Over  the  Sunday  I  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  one 
of  the  deacons  who  proved  to  be  Dr.  Nathanael 
G.  Clark,  foreign  secretary  of  the  American 
Board.  All  who  knew  him  will  remember  that  this 
Christian  statesman  of  commanding  presence,  of 
wide  intelligence  and  sagacious  judgment,  who 
would  have  adorned  a  place  in  the  Supreme  Court 
at  Washington,  was  also  a  man  of  warm  heart, 
quick  to  enter  by  sympathy  into  the  experiences 
of  all  with  whom  he  had  to  do.  During  our  inti- 
mate conferences  together  he  kindly  suggested 
two  or  three  openings  in  the  near  vicinity  for  en- 
tering again  the  work  of  the  pastorate.  But  he 
was  informed  frankly  that  service  of  that  kind  in 
communities  of  settled  religious  habits  did  not  ap- 
peal strongly  to  me,  whatever  opportunities  they 
might  offer  incidentally  for  special  study  or  liter- 
ary work  or  a  pleasant  home  life  among  people 
of  refinement  and  high  ideals;  that  the  impulse 
from  pioneer  and  missionary  blood  flowing  in  my 
veins  was  again  turning  my  thought  toward  the 
western  frontier,  so  that  already  was  I  correspond- 


76  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

ing  with  a  Yale  classmate  of  my  father,  Dr.  Alex- 
ander H.  Clapp  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society, 
in  regard  to  taking  charge  of  a  small  church  in 
Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico.  Instantly  came  back  the 
question,  ''If  you  feel  any  inclination  toward  work 
in  the  southwest,  why  not  continue  along  the  Santa 
Fe  railroad  to  El  Paso,  cross  over  the  interna- 
tional line  into  Mexico  where  the  builders  of  the 
former  road  have  begun  constructing  the  Mexican 
Central,  and  found  a  new  mission  of  the  American 
Board  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua,  supported  by 
the  Otis  legacy?" 

It  should  be  said  by  way  of  explanation  that 
two  or  three  years  earlier  Asa  Otis,  deacon  in  one 
of  our  churches  in  New  London,  Connecticut,  who 
had  lived  in  a  very  simple  manner,  left  to  the 
Board  a  legacy  of  one  million  dollars,  without 
stipulating  in  what  way  the  funds  should  be  used. 
It  was  the  largest  amount  which  had  been  given  to 
any  mission  board,  whether  home  or  foreign,  and 
it  made  a  profound  impression.  However,  there 
was  danger  that  our  board  might  be  considered  so 
rich  as  to  be  able  to  carry  on  its  enterprises,  for 
some  time  at  least,  with  the  help  of  smaller  contri- 
butions than  before  from  the  churches;  with  the 
unfortunate  result  of  an  impoverished  treasury, 
curtailment  of  the  mdely  extended  work,  and 
spiritual  loss  to  the  churches  themselves  through 
the  checking  of  the  stream  of  their  unselfish  benef- 
icence. Therefore  was  it  determined  not  to  keep 
any  part  of  the  immense  bequest,  but  rather  to  ex- 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE   77 

pend  it  as  fast  as  could  be  done  without  waste- 
fulness, and  without  starting  so  many  new  enter- 
prises that  it  might  be  difficult  to  support  them 
afterward  by  means  of  receipts  through  the  ordi- 
nary channels.  According  to  this  decision  the 
newly  acquired  resources  were  divided  into  three 
parts :  one  for  strengthening  the  evangelistic  work 
of  existing  missions,  another  for  enlarging  edu- 
cational enterprises,  and  the  third  for  establishing 
new  missions.  Under  this  arrangement  were  begun 
our  missions  in  East  Central  Africa,  West  Central 
Africa,  Northern  Japan  and  Northern  Mexico. 
Subsequently,  when  all  of  the  legacy  had  been  ex- 
pended, the  last  two  missions  were  consolidated 
with  those  already  existing  in  the  countries  named. 
By  this  time  there  had  been  realized  from  interest, 
dividends,  and  premiums  above  the  par  value  of 
the  gilt-edge  securities  left  by  Mr.  Otis,  an  addi- 
tional third  of  a  million  dollars. 

The  proposal  by  Dr.  Clark  started  a  ferment 
in  my  mind.  Here  was  a  third  and  probably  the  last 
call  to  service  in  another  country ;  first  China,  then 
Japan,  and  now  Mexico.  The  last  offered  the  un- 
usual combination  of  both  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sionary work,  because  so  many  of  our  own  coun- 
trymen were  crowding  over  the  border  to  engage 
in  various  lines  of  business,  some  of  them  taking 
their  families  with  them.  Then  the  newness  of  it 
all  made  a  special  appeal ;  it  was  interesting  to  be 
in  a  sense  a  pioneer  and  a  founder.  Libraries 
were  searched  for  books  that  would  throw  light 


78  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

upon  my  new  problem,  especially  those  treating 
of  the  relations  between  our  owti  country  and  her 
next  door  neighbor  on  the  south.  The  farther  my 
investigations  were  pursued,  the  more  did  they 
serve  to  enlist  my  sympathies  with  the  plan  sug- 
gested by  the  foreign  secretary.  Events  rapidly 
succeeded  one  another ;  and  by  April,  1882,  we  had 
enlisted  for  the  service,  and  I  was  on  my  way  to 
the  southwest,  provided  vnth  a  pass  over  the  line 
of  the  Santa  Fe,  and  with  another  obtained  from 
Thomas  Nickerson,  the  first  president  of  the  Mexi- 
can Central,  at  his  office  in  Boston,  which  said: 
"Pass  James  D.  Eaton  from  Paso  del  Norte  to  end 
of  track  and  return." 

In  those  days  El  Paso,  Texas,  was  a  raw  fron- 
tier settlement,  called  by  some  persons  **  Frank- 
lin" to  distinguish  it  from  the  more  important 
town  on  the  south  side  of  the  Rio  Grande.  It  had 
but  few  well-defined  streets,  upon  which  were 
located  some  small  frame  and  brick  buildings  scat- 
tered among  structures  of  adobe.  There  was  a 
low  building  of  one  story  on  the  west  side  of  El 
Paso  Street,  with  perhaps  a  score  of  pillars  sup- 
porting the  roof  of  its  long  porch.  The  Presby- 
terian minister  told  me  that  for  every  one  of  those 
pillars  a  man  had  been  killed  on  the  street  or  in 
the  saloons ;  and  that  the  town  had  a  marshal  who 
was  so  quick  on  the  trigger  that  he  could  make 
effective  use  of  a  revolver  in  each  hand  at  the 
same  time,  shooting  disturbers  of  the  public  order 
before  they  could  get  him.    He  showed  me  a  sand 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE      79 

lot  where  shortly  before,  under  the  shelter  of  a 
tent,  ministers  of  several  different  denominations 
had  held  preaching  services  in  turn.  But  one  of 
them,  ''Parson  Tays,"  had  constructed  a  frame 
chapel  for  the  Episcopalians,  and  another  had 
done  the  same  for  the  Southern  Methodists. 

Lodging  was  found  in  a  one-story  hotel  whose 
unplastered  walls  consisted  of  rough  boards  nailed 
perpendicularly,  but  with  the  cracks  between  them 
so  imperfectly  covered  with  battens  that  when  the 
-wind  was  blowing,  as  it  seemed  to  do  for  most  of 
the  time,  the  fine  sand  and  dust  sifted  inside  so 
rapidly  that  it  was  difficult  to  keep  it  out  of  the 
beds  and  the  food.  When  guests  came  into  the 
dining  room  for  their  meals,  the  first  thing  they 
did  usually  was  to  lift  their  chairs  and  blow  the 
dust  from  them  before  seating  themselves  at  the 
table. 

The  Rev.  John  A.  Merrill  was  expecting  the 
arrival  that  very  day  of  their  synodical  missionary 
to  assist  in  the  organization  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  on  the  following  morning,  Sunday, 
April  16, 1882 ;  but  having  in  mind  the  uncertainty 
in  those  days  of  railway  connections  in  Texas,  he 
said  to  me:  "If  Dr.  Little  should  not  get  here, 
you  will  have  to  take  his  place. ' '  What  he  feared 
as  a  possibility  did  take  place,  and  he  turned  to  me 
for  help.  The  pastor  of  the  Southern  Methodist 
Church  lent  his  building  for  the  occasion  and  as- 
sisted in  the  devotional  part  of  the  service.  There 
were  assigned  to  me  the  sermon,  which  had  for  its 


80  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

text,  ''If  we  walk  in  the  liglit  as  He  is  in  the  light, 
we  have  fellowship  one  with  another,"  and  the 
prayer  of  organization,  which  was  offered  after 
Mr.  Merrill  had  read  the  names  of  twenty-seven 
persons  who  wished  to  unite  in  forming  the  new 
church,  and  had  directed  their  act  of  covenanting 
together  in  accordance  with  the  impressive  ritual 
of  that  denomination. 

Twenty-five  years  after  that  event,  when  the 
church  had  had  in  succession  seven  pastors,  and 
was  beginning  to  erect  a  new  and  more  commo- 
dious house  of  worship  on  East  Boulevard,  the 
session  invited  me  to  come  from  Chihuahua  and 
give  a  historical  address  at  the  celebration  of  their 
quarter-centennial.  The  invitation  was  conveyed 
in  a  letter  from  their  minister  who  wrote:  "You 
are  the  only  person  we  can  get  hold  of  who  knows 
anything  about  the  organization  of  this  church, 
and  the  official  records  of  the  early  days  have  been 
lost."  After  diligent  search  among  the  accumu- 
lated memoranda  of  many  years,  I  found  the  small 
blank  book  in  which  had  been  written  with  pen  and 
ink  several  pages  descriptive  of  early  experiences 
in  El  Paso,  and  carried  it  with  me  to  the  border 
city.  When,  at  a  certain  point  in  my  discourse, 
that  book  was  produced  from  my  pocket  and  I  read 
from  it  most  of  those  paragraphs,  including  the 
story  of  the  formation  of  their  church,  it  was  ac- 
corded a  hearing  which  was  almost  breathless. 
It  seemed  to  those  present  as  if  the  long  lost  record 
book  itself  had  been  recovered  for  that  notable 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE      81 

anniversary.  At  the  close  of  the  address  the  pas- 
tor requested  that  any  person  in  the  crowded 
house  who  might  have  witnessed  the  organization 
of  the  church,  aside  from  the  speaker  of  the  morn- 
ing, should  rise.  But  no  one  responded  to  the  in- 
vitation, so  many  had  been  the  changes  through 
the  years. 

The  only  means  of  transportation  south  of  the 
border  was  a  freight  train,  the  last  box  car  of  which 
served  as  a  caboose.  Into  this  were  packed  twenty 
passengers  (including  an  ex-governor  of  Chi- 
huahua, his  wife  and  two  pretty  daughters,  bound 
for  San  Jose),  all  the  luggage,  quarters  of  beef, 
dozens  of  brooms,  and  other  goods  destined  for 
points  along  the  line.  One  of  the  American  pas- 
sengers was  going  to  the  state  capital  to  take  the 
place  of  a  man  who  had  been  in  charge  of  the  gaso- 
line street  lamps  which  had  been  installed  recently 
in  that  city,  but  who  had  fallen  from  his  horse 
to  the  stone  pavement  suffering  concussion  of  the 
brain,  and  was  reported  to  be  in  a  dying  condition. 
This  gentleman  was  to  leave  the  train  at  San  Jose, 
seventy-five  miles  out,  and  there  take  the  Mexican 
stage  through  to  his  destination,  and  he  advised 
me  to  do  the  same.  In  this  he  was  seconded  by 
another  gentleman,  a  Bostonian,  who  was  on  his 
way  to  inspect  some  silver  mines  in  which  he  was 
interested.  But  my  pass  read,  "to  end  of  track 
and  return";  and  means  of  transportation  might 
be  found  beyond  that  point,  Gallego,  thirty  miles 
more  to  Laguna,  through  which  village  the  stage 


82  LIFE   UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

would  pass.  At  the  worst  I  could  return  to  San 
Jose  and  take  the  next  "diligencia."  So  it  was 
decided  to  stick  to  the  slow  freight,  which  required 
eighteen  hours  to  cover  the  hundred  and  thirty-five 
miles.  On  the  way  we  passed  the  lonely  grave  of 
a  civil  engineer,  who  not  long  before  had  been 
killed  in  a  horrible  manner  by  Apache  Indians 
from  the  San  Carlos  Reservation  in  Arizona.  At 
the  end  of  the  track  was  found  a  little  collection 
of  white  tents  that  furnished  shelter  and  food  for 
the  men  working  on  the  grade,  the  first  of  a  succes- 
sion of  similar  camps  to  be  encountered  at  inter- 
vals along  the  right  of  way. 

By  inquiry  was  discovered  a  man  who  had  come 
from  Laguna  in  a  lumber  wagon  for  the  purpose 
of  meeting  his  employer,  a  contractor  for  a  section 
of  the  grading,  who  was  expected  to  come  wdth  us 
from  El  Paso  bringing  supplies  for  their  camp; 
but  sudden  illness  had  detained  the  latter  at  the 
border.  It  was  arranged  with  the  driver  to  trans- 
port four  of  us  to  his  camp  at  the  lake.  All  of  the 
men  had  a  rough  exterior  but  were  kind  at  heart, 
as  one  of  them  showed  in  a  practical  way  before 
we  had  traveled  far  in  the  blazing  sun;  for  he 
climbed  over  the  back  of  his  seat  by  the  driver, 
(under  which  were  springs),  and  said  abruptly 
to  me :  "  You  get  up  here. "  "  I  do  not  want  to  take 
your  seat,"  was  my  reply  with  courteous  intent. 
Like  a  flash  came  the  rejoinder,  "You  couldn't 
take  it;  I  give  it  to  you."  True  enough,  for  he 
had  a  revolver  stuck  in  his  belt  of  cartridges,  and 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE      83 

held  a  rifle  besides.  That  emphatic  declaration 
of  the  stranger  who  settled  himself  down  on  the 
springless  bed  of  the  wagon,  illuminated  the  situa- 
tion prevailing  in  one  region  of  the  frontier.  By 
sunset  we  reached  the  lake  and  a  sort  of  inn  which 
provided  supper  and  a  bed  without  springs;  but 
its  hardness  did  not  prevent  the  tired  tenderfoot 
from  falling  into  a  sound  sleep.  At  midnight  was 
heard  a  great  hubbub  before  the  door ;  dogs  bark- 
ing, harness  rattling,  and  men  talking.  They  were 
changing  the  mules  of  the  diligence  which  had 
arrived  from  San  Jose  and  would  soon  be  speeding 
on  toward  the  city  of  Chihuahua.  In  a  half  stupor 
I  stumbled  out  into  the  courtyard  and  encountered 
the  two  gentlemen  who  had  advised  me  to  leave 
the  freight  train  for  greater  certainty  of  reach- 
ing our  common  destination,  but  who  had  ar- 
rived six  hours  behind  me,  and  after  more  than 
a  hundred  miles  of  expensive  travel  by  coach. 

At  sunrise  we  stopped  for  a  fresh  team  of  six 
mules  and  breakfast  at  Sauz,  one  of  the  haciendas 
of  Don  Luis  Terrazas  who  had  won  the  title  of 
General  in  his  successful  campaign  against  the 
French  soldiers  who  were  supporting  the  preten- 
sions of  the  ill-fated  Emperor  Maximilian  and  had 
occupied  the  capital  city.  Don  Luis  was  governor 
of  the  state  at  the  time  of  our  arrival,  having  held 
that  office  for  more  than  fifteen  years.  He  had  ac- 
quired title  to  many  square  miles  of  the  fertile 
valleys  which  we  had  been  traversing,  and  over 


84  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

them  roamed  vast  herds  of  cattle  and  horses  and 
numerous  flocks  of  sheep. 

Passing  through  Nombre  de  Dios  we  saw  the 
old  church  built  by  the  Franciscan  friars  when 
they  founded  their  first  mission  to  the  Indians  in 
this  region ;  and  at  noon  the  wheels  of  our  coach, 
rattling  over  the  cobblestone  pavement  of  Chi- 
huahua, made  a  noise  that  seemed  redoubled  as  it 
was  echoed  from  the  near  walls  of  the  buildings 
of  stone  and  adobe  which  lined  the  long  streets. 
AVe  arrived  at  the  central  plaza,  on  which  fronted 
the  cathedral,  the  city  hall,  several  banks  and  other 
places  of  business,  and  stopped  at  the  American 
House.  Here  we  received  an  uproarious  welcome 
from  a  group  of  our  countrjTuen  who  greeted  us  as 
if  we  were  long  lost  relatives  of  theirs.  Very  puz- 
zling was  a  demonstration  of  that  sort,  until  we 
learned  of  a  rumor  which  had  gained  currency, 
to  the  effect  that  the  triweekly  diligence  from  San 
Jose  had  been  robbed,  the  mules  stolen,  and  the 
passengers  killed,  by  the  Apache  savages  who 
were  known  to  be  engaged  at  that  very  time  in  one 
of  their  destructive  raids  from  their  reservation 
in  Arizona  across  the  Mexican  border.  Confirma- 
tion of  the  sensational  story  seemed  to  be  given  by 
the  fact  that  our  coach  was  hours  behind  the  usual 
time  of  arrival. 

In  the  afternoon  the  man  who  had  fallen  from 
his  horse  nine  days  before,  and  had  been  nursed 
day  and  night  by  kind  countrymen,  breathed  his 
last,  having  been  unconscious  for  most  of  the  time. 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE   85 

These  friends  were  glad  to  learn  that  a  minister 
had  come  to  town  that  very  day;  and  they  lost 
no  time  in  asking  him  to  conduct  the  funeral  ser- 
vice the  next  morning.  It  was  held  in  the  large 
room  in  which  the  man  had  died.  Some  of  his 
clothing  was  still  hanging  from  nails  driven  into 
the  wall ;  and  on  table  and  bureau  w^ere  various  ar- 
ticles of  use  or  ornament ;  while  through  the  open 
door  of  an  adjoining  room  we  could  see  a  stock 
of  street  lamps  and  other  material  connected  with 
his  late  business.  There  had  crowded  into  the 
place  between  fifty  and  sixty  Americans,  all  men 
of  course,  while  many  curious  natives  peered  in 
at  the  door  and  windows.  At  the  head  of  the  pine 
coffin  which  had  been  painted  black,  with  narrow 
lines  of  white  to  relieve  in  part  the  somberness, 
I  stood  to  read  some  portions  of  Scripture,  give 
a  brief  talk,  and  offer  a  prayer  whose  closing  amen 
was  echoed  by  the  bass  voices  of  some  who  had 
not  attended  a  religious  service  of  any  kind  for 
years.  Six  Mexican  peons  lifted  the  dark  burden 
to  their  shoulders,  and  we  formed  a  procession  to 
show  respect  to  the  dead.  Four  countrymen 
walked  at  the  head  as  a  vanguard,  three  on  each 
side  as  honorary  bearers,  while  twenty  policemen 
accompanied  us  because  the  deceased  had  been  con- 
nected with  the  lighting  of  the  streets  under  a  con- 
tract with  the  city  government.  Along  the  middle 
of  the  street  in  the  hot  sun  we  walked  to  the  ceme- 
tery gates,  passed  through  them  with  bared  heads, 
and  committed  the  body  to  the  ground,  several  of 


86  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

the  company  following  the  minister's  example  in 
dropping  earth  upon  the  lowered  coffin. 

The  large  attendance  of  men  at  the  funeral  and 
the  knowledge  that  there  were  already  living  in 
the  city  a  few  American  women  encouraged  me  to 
arrange,  one  week  later,  for  holding  a  service  with 
sermon  on  Sunday  afternoon  (because  all  kinds 
of  business  were  carried  on  as  usual  up  to  one 
o'clock  on  the  Lord's  Day),  on  the  upstairs  bal- 
cony facing  the  inner  patio  of  the  building  on  the 
main  plaza.     Captain  Jack  Crawford,  who  was 
widely  known  on  the  frontier,  volunteered  to  give 
his  help  as  my  *Svarden,"  and  he  wrote  and  posted 
in  prominent  places  notices  of  the  novel  proceed- 
ing, promised  for  half  past  four  o'clock.     One 
woman  lent  her  large  family  Bible  to  lay  upon  the 
improvised  pulpit ;  and  another  furnished  a  lot  of 
chairs,  sending  them  by  her  mozo.    These  ladies 
came ;  but  we  waited  for  the  arrival  of  some  of  the 
men  who  had  promised  to  attend.    Something  un- 
foreseen might  have  occurred  to  delay  them.    We 
waited  and  waited.    Rather  ominous  was  the  sound 
of  music  by  a  large  military  band  on  the  alameda, 
and  the  deserting  of  the  streets  in  our  vicinity 
by  people  who  were  attracted  by  the  circus  and  the 
cock-fighting.     At  length  one  of  the   ladies   re- 
marked that  she  would  have  to  be  excused  soon 
in  order  to  prepare  supper;  and  the  other  was 
needed  at  home.    It  was  too  late  to  hold  the  ser- 
vice ;  and  so  after  prayer  with  them  and  two  men 
besides  Captain  Crawford,  we  went  our  several 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE   87 

ways.  Later  my  warden  informed  me  that  he 
"won  the  cigars"  over  tlie  result,  although  sorry 
for  my  disappointment.  He  added  that  many  men 
will  **tell  the  parson  white  lies  to  save  his  feel- 
ings," and  that  if  he  himself  were  not  tied  to  a 
mine,  he  would  ' '  catch  the  first  train  back  home  to 
God's  country. ' '  Doubtless  he  had  helped  me  with 
sincere  good  will;  but  he  knew  the  prevailing  senti- 
ment among  his  countrymen  in  regard  to  the  claims 
of  religion,  and  their  reluctance  to  have  ministers 
come  to  remind  them  of  those  claims,  much  better 
than  did  the  newcomer  who,  however,  did  in  time 
come  to  realize  the  true  situation. 

More  encouraging  was  my  experience  with  the 
mayor,  Don  Juan  N.  Zubiran,  a  member  of  the 
liberal  party,  who  had  been  intimately  acquainted 
with  the  great  Indian  statesman,  Benito  Juarez, 
and  who  himself  was  of  the  Indian  type  in  feature 
and  color  of  skin.  In  excellent  English  he  assured 
me  that  he  would  give  cordial  welcome  to  anyone 
who  would  help  to  educate  the  people  in  general, 
and  inculcate  religious  principles  that  were 
friendly  to  freedom  of  thought  and  consequent 
liberation  of  men's  minds  from  a  slavish  sub- 
jection to  an  ecclesiastical  tyranny  which  had  op- 
pressed the  mass  of  his  countrymen  for  centuries. 
He  pledged  himself  to  use  all  the  power  at  his 
command  to  enforce  the  laws  which  guaranteed 
freedom  of  worship,  and  to  defend  against  unfair 
treatment  all  who  might  wish  to  avail  themselves 
of  that  promised  freedom. 


88  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

During  the  two  weeks  of  my  stay  I  was  able  to 
gather  much  information  concerning  the  climate 
of  the  region  and  conditions  favorable  to  health 
or  otherwise ;  the  prices  of  domestic  and  imported 
articles  of  food,  clothing  and  furniture ;  the  lead- 
ing characteristics  of  the  people  and  their  probable 
attitude  toward  new  religious  teachings;  also  in 
regard  to  the  distribution  of  population  through- 
out the  state,  the  relative  importance  of  other 
towns,  such  as  Parral,  Santa  Eosalia  and  Jimenez, 
and  the  lines  of  business  in  which  their  citizens 
were  engaged.  It  was  evident  that  to  win  a  hearing 
for  a  simple  gospel,  gather  adherents  for  a  faith 
that  should  be  unincumbered  by  the  multiplied  ac- 
cretions of  ceremonial  and  superstitious  practice, 
and  in  time  establish  a  fellowship  of  self-gov- 
erning, self-supporting  and  self-propagating 
churches  composed  of  men  and  women  such  as 
Mayor  Zubiran  described,  who  had  suffered  from 
the  deadening  influence  of  priestly  domination 
during  hundreds  of  years — to  go  no  farther  back 
than  the  Spanish  Conquest — would  not  be  a  holi- 
day task. 

The  return  to  El  Paso  was  easier  than  the  out- 
ward journey;  for  the  ''end  of  track"  was  at 
Laguna  station,  a  caboose  carried  us  Gallego,  and 
there  we  changed  to  a  passenger  train,  covering 
the  entire  distance  by  rail  in  half  the  time  which 
had  been  consumed  before.  Indeed,  my  itinerary 
provided  for  somewhat  leisurely  travel  back  to 
Boston,  permitting  stop-overs  for  four  or  five  suc- 
cessive Sundays,  all  of  which  were  fully  utilized 


THE  DOOR  OPENS  FOR  FOREIGN  SERVICE   89 

for  addressing  congregations  in  as  many  differ- 
ent states.  Everywhere  were  the  people  eager  to 
hear  of  some  events  connected  with  my  exploring 
tour,  and  to  learn  of  the  new  opportunity  for  help- 
ing in  the  development — ^materially,  educationally 
and  spiritually — of  their  neighbors  on  the  south 
who  were  yet  strangers  to  them,  as  foreign  in 
language,  religion  and  customs  as  most  of  the  na- 
tions of  Europe. 

The  report  of  my  investigations  on  the  ground 
was  made  in  person  to  the  officials  of  the  American 
Board  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Prudential  Com- 
mittee which  was  presided  over  by  Alpheus  Hardy, 
the  patron  of  Joseph  Hardy  Neesima,  the  Jap- 
anese who  had  found  his  way  to  the  coast  of  New 
England  in  one  of  the  vessels  belonging  to  the 
Boston  merchant,  was  educated  at  Amherst  and 
Andover,  and  returned  to  his  own  country  to  be- 
come the  founder  of  the  Doshisha  at  Kyoto.  Al- 
though Dr.  Ellinwood  had  suggested  the  advisa- 
bility of  our  making  a  beginning  at  Paso  del  Norte 
and  tarrying  at  the  border  until  the  railroad 
should  open  up  the  country  more  fully,  in  a  mea- 
sure preparing  the  people  for  so  novel,  and  to 
many  so  unwelcome,  an  event  as  the  advent  of  a 
Protestant  missionary  in  Chihuahua,  my  own  con- 
viction was  that  the  state  capital,  which  was  at  the 
same  time  the  most  populous  city  in  the  three 
northwestern  states,  offered  the  most  strategic 
center  for  the  work  proposed;  and  it  was  voted 
unanimously  to  begin  operations  there  in  the  au- 
tumn. 


CHAPTER  VII 

A  SUMMER  OF  PREPARA.TION 

It  was  proposed  by  the  foreign  secretary  that 
we  continue  our  residence  in  Andover  through 
the  summer,  waiting  for  the  cooler  autumn  in 
which  to  establish  the  new  home  below  the  inter- 
national border;  and  that  in  the  meantime  we 
begin  the  study  of  Spanish,  endeavor  to  find  a 
well  equipped  and  congenial  man  to  be  associated 
with  us,  and  make  other  preparations  for  insuring 
as  far  as  possible  an  efficient  undertaking  of  the 
new  task.  Several  officials  of  the  Mexican  Central 
Railway  already  were  receiving  instruction  in  the 
language  which  their  employees  would  need  to 
learn,  from  General  A.  Ibarra,  who  was  a  native 
of  Venezuela;  and  the  same  person  was  engaged 
to  teach  me  at  his  residence  in  Boston.  Imme- 
diately after  each  lesson  I  took  the  train  for  An- 
dover, and  imparted  to  my  wife  what  had  been 
learned  that  day.  Thus  did  we  advance  together 
along  the  new  path  of  knowledge;  and  even  the 
scant  acquaintance  with  the  native  tongue  of  Cer- 
vantes, which  was  gained  in  that  brief  period  of 
time,  was  of  great  value  to  us  a  little  later,  when 
religious  prejudice  tried  to  hedge  up  our  way  by 

90 


A  SUMMER  OF  PREPARATION  91 

intimidating  those  who  otherwise  would  have  been 
willing  to  teach  their  own  language  to  the  new- 
comers. 

Among  the  students  in  the  theological  seminary 
were  several  men  who  felt  the  force  of  the  appeal 
for  assistance  in  taking  advantage  of  the  new 
opening  for  Christian  service;  an  opportunity 
which  had  been  created  by  a  combination  of  favor- 
ing circumstances,  viz.,  on  this  side,  the  laying  of 
plans  by  farseeing  business  men  for  providing 
a  backward  nation  with  transportation  facilities 
and  other  means  of  material  development,  and  on 
the  other  side,  the  efforts  of  a  determined  group 
of  liberals  to  secure  for  their  people  a  greater  de- 
gree of  intellectual  and  religious  freedom,  even 
to  the  extent  of  letting  themselves  appear  to  be 
the  friends  of  Protestant  missionaries.  In- 
stances of  this  sympathetic  attitude  on  the  part  of 
Mexican  gentlemen  who  claimed  to  be  freethinkers 
will  be  given  in  the  course  of  this  narrative  of  per- 
sonal experiences.  Yet  when  it  came  to  the  point 
of  making  a  final  decision,  no  one  of  the  gradua- 
ting class  proved  to  be  available  for  the  new  enter- 
prise. It  was  easier  to  get  recruits  to  fill  up  the 
ranks  of  Christ's  soldiers  on  fields  across  the  seas, 
than  it  was  to  persuade  men  to  take  up  the  work 
so  near  home. 

The  vacation  season  gave  opportunity  for  ac- 
quainting a  number  of  churches,  whose  pastors 
were  away,  with  the  interesting  situation  which 
had  developed  on  the  south.     While  the  people 


92  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

wanted  to  have  a  sermon  on  Sunday  morning, 
they  were  not  averse  to  hearing  a  less  formal  ad- 
dress in  the  evening  on  a  subject  which  was  new 
to  most  of  them ;  and  at  the  close  some  would  come 
forward  to  express  their  interest,  and  would  ask 
questions  to  elicit  additional  information.  After 
such  a  talk  in  Park  Street  Church,  Boston,  among 
those  who  presented  themselves  was  Mr.  Fred- 
erick A.  Ober,  traveler  and  author  of  a  number  of 
popular  books,  who  was  then  seeing  through  the 
press  his  Young  Folks'  History  of  Mexico.  After 
giving  me  his  name,  he  turned  to  introduce  a  Mexi- 
can gentleman;  and  I  had  an  uncomfortable  mo- 
ment of  suspense,  thinking  that  the  latter  might 
take  exception  to  some  of  the  statements  which  had 
been  made  concerning  his  country  and  its  inhabi- 
tants. But  my  apprehensions  were  groundless; 
for  both  gentlemen  assured  me  that  my  represen- 
tations were  correct.  The  following  year  Mr.  Ober 
visited  Chiliuahua,  and  was  introduced  by  me  to  a 
wealthy  citizen  who  was  led  to  donate  to  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution  in  Washington,  for  which  the 
former  was  making  collections,  valuable  specimens 
of  ancient  pottery  from  Casas  Grandes. 

Speaking  in  the  South  Church  at  Andover,  I 
was  introduced  to  the  librarian  of  the  Boston  Pub- 
lic Library.  He  expressed  great  interest  in  what 
had  been  said,  but  gave  me  an  unpleasant  surprise 
by  suggesting  that  it  would  be  better  to  find  some 
other  man  to  go  in  my  place  and  undertake  the 
difficult  and,  to  him,  uncongenial  task  of  **  trying 


A  SUMMER  OF  PREPARATION  93 

to  reform  those  Mexicans."  How  different  was 
his  point  of  view  from  the  one  to  which  I  had  long 
been  accustomed!  Among  the  books  read  in  my 
childhood  were  biographies  of  missionaries  whose 
work  was  done ;  but  other  men  who  were  still  very 
much  alive  had  visited  in  the  family,  and  I  had  re- 
garded them  with  admiration  and  reverence.  My 
grandfather  had  helped  to  educate  Dr.  Peter 
Parker  who  is  still  referred  to  as  the  one  ''who 
opened  China  with  his  lancet."  In  college  and 
seminary  I  had  been  stirred  deeply  by  the  appeals 
of  Crosby  H.  Wheeler,  J.  K.  Greene,  Luther  H. 
Gulick,  Josiah  Tyler  and  Titus  Coan.  Who  would 
be  worthy  to  follow  in  their  train?    Not  I. 

Also  it  was  my  privilege  to  get  information  and 
inspiration  from  men  and  women  who  had  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  Mexico  and  her  people — 
their  achievements  and  their  needs.  One  of  those 
memorable  interviews  was  had  with  Dr.  William 
Butler  and  his  wife,  then  making  their  home  in 
Somerville  and  who,  after  founding  and  nurturing 
for  many  years  the  mission  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  India,  returned  to  this  continent 
and  became  the  pioneers  of  the  great  work  of 
their  denomination  in  Mexico.  Dr.  Butler's  book, 
"Mexico  in  Transition,"  is  still  of  value  to  all 
who  would  trace  the  course  of  events  that  point 
toward  the  social,  moral  and  religious  regenera- 
tion of  that  country. 

It  was  worth  much  to  have  an  intimate  talk  in 
New  York  with  Judge  Helfenstein,  the  principal 


94  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

0"vvner  of  the  famous  iron  mountain  in  the  state  of 
Durango.  He  was  a  Christian  and  a  sincere  friend 
of  the  Mexicans,  quick  to  recognize  their  many  fine 
qualities,  and  had  often  knelt  with  them  in  their 
churches,  although  he  did  not  pay  reverence  to  the 
pictures  and  images  found  there.  He  advised  me 
to  avoid  as  far  as  possible  religious  controversy, 
make  the  most  of  the  people's  reverence  for  what 
they  held  to  be  sacred,  and  set  forth  positive 
spiritual  truth,  in  confident  expectation  that  by 
degrees  the  good  would  give  place  to  the  better, 
and  that  this  in  turn  would  point  the  way  to  the 
best,  liberating  many  from  bondage  to  error  and 
sin. 

Another  interesting  personality  was  discovered 
in  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  a  lady  who  had 
been  governess  in  the  family  of  the  liberator 
Benito  Juarez  almost  up  to  the  time  of  his  death 
which  had  occurred  only  ten  years  before  our  con- 
versation together,  and  whose  prolonged  residence 
in  the  home  of  the  President  of  the  Mexican  Re- 
public had  made  her  familiar  with  many  features 
of  the  life  of  the  influential  classes  at  the  capital. 

But  the  most  inspiring  of  all  the  interviews  was 
the  one  granted  to  me  by  the  foreign  secretary  of 
the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions,  Dr.  F.  F. 
Ellinwood,  who  had  recently  returned  from  a  visit 
to  Mexico  City,  and  who  showed  photographs  of 
a  number  of  the  leading  preachers  he  had  met,  the 
encouraging  fruits  of  ten  years  of  missionary 
effort.   He  was  full  of  enthusiasm  over  the  promis- 


A  SUMMER  OF  PREPARATION  95 

ing  outlook  for  evangelical  undertakings  there, 
and  remarked  that  one  did  not  have  to  be  an  in- 
spired prophet  to  foresee  a  religious  reformation 
in  that  country,  and  that  it  would  be  a  high  priv- 
ilege for  one  to  have  even  a  small  part  in  ushering 
in  a  brighter  day  for  our  neighbor,  Mexico.  On  his 
voyage  to  Vera  Cruz  he  became  acquainted  with 
an  elderly  gentleman  of  high  rank  in  the  Mexican 
army,  who  made  the  frank  statement  that,  al- 
though he  himself  had  been  baptized  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  and  expected  to  continue  in  that 
communion,  he  would  welcome  an  effort  to  build 
in  his  own  country  a  Protestant  house  of  worship 
alongside  of  every  cathedral  and  parish  church  of 
the  ancient  order,  for  the  sake  of  the  elevating 
influence  upon  the  latter  of  that  kind  of  compe- 
tition. 

Dr.  Ellinwood  had  already  given  assurance  to 
Dr.  Clark  that  if  we  opened  work  in  Chihuahua, 
the  Presbyterians,  who  had  a  flourishing  station 
in  Zacatecas  and  had  made  a  beginning  in  Du- 
rango  (which  joins  the  first-named  state  on  the 
south),  would  respect  our  occupancy  and  avoid 
any  appearance  of  rivalry  in  Christian  work.  Our 
secretary  also  wrote  to  Theodore  Frelinghuysen, 
Secretary  of  State  under  the  administration  of 
President  Chester  A.  Arthur,  setting  forth  the 
plans  of  our  board;  and  through  that  influential 
medium  he  got  into  communication  with  the  Mexi- 
can Minister  at  Washington,  Senor  Matias  Ro- 
mero, who  was  known  to  be  a  man  of  liberal  views. 


96  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

The  specific  end  in  view  was  to  obtain  authority 
for  the  shipping  into  Mexico  without  pajTuent  of 
customs  cliarges,  (as  was  occasionally  allowed  in 
the  matter  of  importing  school  supplies),  of  house- 
keeping outfits  for  two  missionary  families;  one 
of  them  to  go  to  Guadalajara,  and  the  other 
of  course  my  own.  Mr.  Romero  was  ready  to 
favor,  so  far  as  his  official  position  would  permit, 
the  plans  for  education  and  evangelism  as  ex- 
plained to  him  by  our  Secretary  of  State ;  and  in 
due  time  he  reported  to  our  Government  that  the 
President  of  Mexico  (who  was  General  Manuel 
Gonzalez),  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  ask  the  Con- 
gress to  pass  a  law  granting  the  exemption  de- 
sired, because  such  an  act  would  be  in  contraven- 
tion of  the  principle  of  religious  equality  estab- 
lished by  means  of  the  federal  constitution;  but 
that  he  would  see  to  it  that  the  collectors  of  the 
ports  of  entry  at  Vera  Cruz  and  Paso  del  Norte 
received  orders  to  admit  the  effects  of  those  two 
families  free  of  duty. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN    CHIHUAHUA   IN    THE   YEAR 

1882  AND  AFTER 

One  of  the  builders  of  the  Mexican  Central  re- 
marked to  me  that  the  construction  of  that  rail- 
way was  like  a  new  Declaration  of  Independence 
for  the  Mexicans.  He  meant  this  to  be  taken  in  an 
economic  sense;  for  he  went  on  to  explain  that 
great  numbers  of  common  laborers  who  had  been 
receiving  the  merest  pittance  in  exchange  for  their 
toil,  were  now  earning  good  wages  which  would 
enable  them  to  provide  better  food  and  clothing 
for  their  families.  But  his  remark  was  also  true 
in  the  sense  that  the  opening  of  a  highway  connect- 
ing the  two  countries  would  bring  the  backward 
people  into  business  and  social  relations  with  the 
strong,  progressive  nation  on  their  northern  bor- 
der, thus  introducing  them  to  a  new  world  and 
arousing  within  them  new  ideas  of  personal  and 
political  freedom. 

During  a  period  of  about  thirty  years  after  she 
lost  to  the  United  States  nearly  one-half  of  her 
territory,  Mexico  pursued  a  policy  shaped  to 
guard  herself  from  further  encroachments  by  the 
nation  to  which  was  given  by  many  of  the  writers 

97 


98  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

for  her  newspapers  the  name,  ''The  Colossus  of 
the  North."  She  established  along  our  border  a 
zone  twenty  leagues  in  width,  within  which  no 
American  citizen  might  purchase  land,  unless  he 
obtained  a  special  permit  from  the  national  gov- 
ernment to  do  this.  The  only  railway  she  allowed 
to  be  constructed  was  one  to  connect  her  capital 
with  the  seaport  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  that  was  built 
and  owned  by  an  English  company.  There  was  a 
strong  sentiment  against  the  establishment  of  too 
easy  communication  with  the  United  States;  and 
the  desert  of  sand  and  sagebrush  which  extended 
for  so  many  miles  from  the  Rio  Grande  furnished 
a  means  of  defense  against  the  approach  of  a  pos- 
sible enemy  from  that  quarter  almost  as  effective 
as  a  line  of  military  fortifications  would  have 
been. 

In  the  year  1876,  President  Lerdo,  having  re- 
ceived the  votes  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  of 
the  electoral  college,  was  declared  elected  for  a 
second  term.  But  before  the  date  for  the  inaug- 
uration in  December,  there  was  started  a  revo- 
lution for  his  overthrow  by  General  Porfirio  Diaz 
who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  campaign 
for  resisting  the  invasion  by  the  French  army 
which  had  been  sent  by  Louis  Napoleon  to  sup- 
port the  pretensions  of  the  Austrian  Archduke 
Maximilian  to  an  emperor's  throne.  The  slogan 
adopted  for  the  revolution  was  ''No  Election 
for  a  Second  Term,"  and  the  movement  gained 
such    headway    that    the    President    feared    for 


ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS  IN  CHIHUAHUA    99 

his  life  and  fled  for  refuge  to  the  United  States. 
In  the  spring  General  Diaz  took  the  reins  of  gov- 
ernment, about  the  same  time  that  President 
Rutherford  B.  Hayes  was  inaugurated  at  Wash- 
ington ;  but  the  latter 's  administration  did  not  rec- 
ognize the  former  as  the  lawful  president  of 
Mexico  until  after  he  had  maintained  himself  in 
power  for  a  considerable  period  of  time. 

In  1880  General  Diaz  retired  from  the  chief 
magistracy,  in  apparent  consistency  with  the  prin- 
ciple he  had  fought  for;  but  he  took  care  that  he 
should  be  succeeded  in  the  presidency  by  a  mem- 
ber of  his  cabinet,  the  General  Gonzalez  who  was 
referred  to  in  the  last  chapter,  and  during  the 
latter 's  incumbency  the  former  was  generally  re- 
garded as  the  power  behind  the  throne.  There- 
fore he  may  fairly  be  credited  with  the  govern- 
ment's change  of  attitude  shown  in  the  voting  by 
the  federal  congress  of  a  substantial  subsidy  to  in- 
sure the  construction  of  a  trunk  line  of  railway 
between  Mexico  City  and  Paso  del  Norte,  a  dis- 
tance of  twelve  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles. 
The  work  was  carried  on  from  each  end,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  building  of  the  Union  Pacific  and  the 
Central  Pacific  railways  after  our  Civil  War,  mate- 
rial for  the  southern  end  being  transported  over 
the  English  road  from  Vera  Cruz,  and  that  for  the 
other  being  brought  by  the  Santa  Fe ;  with  the  re- 
sult that  early  in  the  year  1884  the  two  sections 
were  joined  near  Lagos,  and  trains  began  to  run 
through  from  each  terminus,  consisting  of  coaches 


100  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

for  the  accommodation  of  first,  second  and  third 
class  passengers,  besides  the  Pulhnan  cars  which 
in  effect  provided  for  an  extra  class. 

But  in  November,  1882,  there  was  no  palace  car 
attached  to  our  train  from  the  border,  which  had 
one  coach  filled  with  soldiers  to  protect  us  from  the 
Apaches.  It  was  a  weary  ride  for  our  party  of 
five  in  dust  and  discomfort  through  an  entire  day. 
There  were  the  four-year-old  Howard,  and  his 
baby  brother  of  three  months,  and  the  wife's  sister 
who  had  come  with  us  to  help  her  in  the  care  of  the 
little  ones  while  we  should  be  making  some  kind 
of  a  home  in  a  strange  land  and  getting  our  bear- 
ings for  the  new  work.  Arrived  at  our  destination 
after  nightfall,  we  were  carried  in  a  public  hack  to 
a  Mexican  hotel  which  became  our  shelter  for 
several  weeks.  The  aspect  of  the  streets  and  build- 
ings by  moonlight  reminded  the  tired  wife  and 
mother  of  her  acquaintance  in  previous  years  with 
cities  in  Italy;  and  thus  the  unwonted  scene  was 
brightened  a  bit  for  us  as  we  beheld  it  through 
a  halo  of  romance.  But  the  searching  light  of  day 
revealed  many  things  which  wore  no  charm  for 
us,  and  we  might  easily  have  become  unhappy 
through  thinking  of  what  we  could  not  have. 
However,  we  determined  to  make  the  best  of  what 
was  within  reach,  which  was  so  much  more  than 
can  be  found  by  the  devoted  men  and  women  who 
volunteer  for  service  in  savage  or  only  partly 
civilized  countries. 

In  the  center  of  the  main  plaza  was  a  fountain 


GOVERNOK     Dos     AlKilEL    Ah 


UMADA 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN   CHIHUAHUA     101 

and  large  basin  of  water  to  which  women  carried 
earthen  jars  to  be  filled,  and  to  which  householders 
living  in  the  near  vicinity  sent  their  menservants 
with  small  barrels  slung  from  a  pole  that  rested 
on  their  shoulders.  In  order  to  supply  families 
at  a  greater  distance,  two-wheeled  carts,  which 
were  fitted  up  with  a  sort  of  giant  tub  to  hold  the 
precious  liquid,  were  driven  from  door  to  door  and 
the  contents  offered  for  sale  at  the  rate  of  two 
buckets  for  a  cent  and  a  half.  There  were  no 
sewers,  and  the  only  way  for  disposing  of  waste 
water  was  to  sprinkle  it  over  the  pavement  in  the 
court  of  the  house  or  on  the  street  outside,  and 
leave  it  for  the  sun  to  dry  up.  Soiled  clothing  was 
taken  to  the  river  to  be  washed  and  spread  out 
on  the  ground  or  clumps  of  bushes  to  dry.  Street 
cleaning  was  accomplished  by  means  of  a  munic- 
ipal ordinance  which  required  the  occupants  of 
each  house  to  sweep  the  part  in  front  of  it  out  to 
the  middle  of  the  street,  after  having  sprinkled 
the  same  to  avoid  raising  the  dust,  and  to  leave 
the  sweepings  in  little  heaps  (to  which  were  added 
any  garbage  from  the  kitchen),  for  the  scavengers 
to  cart  away  and  dump  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
where  the  accumulated  filth  became  a  menace  to 
the  public  health. 

When  Colonel  Miguel  Ahumada  became  gover- 
nor, wliich  office  he  held  for  a  period  of  ten  years, 
one  of  the  first  things  he  did  was  to  make  the  water 
supply  accessible  to  the  entire  population.  There 
was  already  in  existence  a  fine  aqueduct  of  stone, 


102  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

dating  back  for  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  or  more, 
wliieh  took  water  from  the  "salto"  or  fall,  three 
miles  up  the  Chubiscar  river,  and  brought  it  to  the 
edge  of  the  town.  There  he  caused  to  be  built  res- 
ervoirs for  storing  and  purifying  the  water,  and 
modern  pipes  to  be  laid  for  conducting  the  same 
to  all  sections  of  the  city  and  into  all  places  of  resi- 
dence or  business  requiring  such  service,  and  at 
moderate  rates.  The  governor  told  me  that  he 
introduced  the  water  \dthout  making  provision  for 
sewerage,  because  the  taxpayers  would  object  to 
the  great  expense  of  installing  both  systems; 
whereas  if  he  furnished  the  water  desired,  the  very 
abundance  of  it  would  make  evident  to  all  the  ne- 
cessity of  some  provision  for  disposing  of  it  after 
it  had  been  used.  The  correctness  of  his  position 
was  proved  by  the  outcome;  for  very  soon  public 
sentiment  demanded  further  relief,  and  he  con- 
tracted with  certain  Americans  to  install  a  modern 
system  of  sewerage. 

In  order  to  raise  revenue  for  the  support  of 
government — federal,  state  and  municipal — there 
were  levied  all  sorts  of  taxes.  Stamp  taxes 
affected  everybody,  even  the  multitudes  who 
owned  no  real  estate  nor  any  personal  property 
which  was  worth  mentioning.  Stamps  had  to  be 
affixed  not  only  to  checks  and  drafts,  but  to  every 
kind  of  receipt,  to  all  contracts,  to  title  deeds, 
to  mortgages,  upon  every  leaf  of  every  book  of 
accounts  wliich  might  possibly  have  to  be  pre- 
sented for  inspection  in  a  justice's  court  in  the 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN   CHIHUAHUA     103 

settlement  of  a  claim,  and  upon  a  large  printed 
sheet  which  had  to  be  hung  up  to  public  view  in 
every  place  which  offered  for  sale  articles  of  any 
description,  the  sum  of  the  stamps  depending  upon 
the  amount  of  the  sales  as  indicated  by  the  books 
of  account.  Taxes  on  real  estate  were  levied  in 
moderate  amount,  to  which  twenty-five  per  cent 
was  added  in  behalf  of  the  federal  government. 
In  addition  to  all  of  the  foregoing,  there  was 
the  old  system  of  alcabalas  which  had  been  intro- 
duced from  European  countries,  and  by  wiiich  im- 
posts were  levied  upon  every  article  of  merchan- 
dise brought  into  the  city.  For  the  collection  of 
these  imposts,  there  were  located  garitas  or  tiny 
custom  houses  on  the  roads  leading  into  the  town. 
Near  these  were  stationed  guards  to  prevent  the 
entrance  by  night,  when  the  garita  was  closed, 
of  any  sort  of  merchandise.  Ranchmen  must  pay 
a  tax  on  their  cartloads  of  beans,  corn,  melons  or 
squashes.  Every  milkman  was  obliged  to  make 
a  daily  payment  according  to  the  size  and  number 
of  earthen  jars  or  tin  cans  which  he  introduced. 
Every  donkey  load  of  straw  or  of  sticks  of  fire- 
wood had  to  pay  a  trifling  tax. 

When  our  household  goods  arrived,  we  gained 
a  vivid  experience  of  the  old  system;  for  besides 
the  federal  duties  imposed  at  the  border  custom 
house,  and  an  additional  levy  by  the  state  into 
which  we  had  come,  we  had  to  pay  again  for  the 
support  of  the  municipal  government.  For  in- 
stance, on  my  previous  visit  for  investigation  it 


lOi  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

had  been  learned  that  the  retail  price  of  kerosene 
oil  was  about  $2.00  a  gallon  in  our  monej^  Con- 
sequently there  was  purchased  in  Boston  as  a 
part  of  our  outfit,  a  barrel  of  it  for  about  $7.00. 
The  import  duty  was  about  $15.00,  the  state 
collected  nearly  $2.00,  and  the  municipal  impost 
was  practically  the  same  as  the  federal;  or  a 
total  of  $32.00.  The  sequel  of  the  story  is  that 
the  inexperienced  importer  did  not  realize  that 
in  so  dry  a  climate  the  barrel  staves  would 
shrink,  and  so  failed  to  procure  tin  receptacles 
to  guard  the  contents.  Consequently  the  greater 
part  of  the  kerosene  leaked  out,  and  for  the  re- 
mainder he  actually  paid  more  than  the  local 
dealers  would  have  demanded. 

Among  our  goods  was  a  reed  organ  Avhich  had 
been  donated  by  the  American  Organ  Company  for 
the  use  of  the  new  mission ;  and  a  piano  which  had 
been  given  by  a  relative  of  Mrs.  Eaton  for  her 
own  use.  The  two  instruments  together  had  been 
listed  at  the  border  custom  house  to  pay  a  duty 
of  moderate  amount,  less  than  the  government  of 
the  United  States  would  have  collected  at  the  port 
of  Boston  on  imports  of  like  value  from  Europe. 
The  addition  of  the  small  state  impost  made  the 
sum  about  $150.00.  But  the  city  tax  was  only  $2.00 
to  $3.00.  The  poorer  classes  could  not  purchase 
pianos  or  organs;  but  they  had  to  have  coal  oil 
with  which  to  light  their  humble  dwellings,  or  limit 
themselves  to  candles.  When  an  officer  of  govern- 
ment caUed  at  the  house  to  inspect  the  boxes,  bar- 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN   CHIHUAHUA     105 

rels  and  crates  of  our  belongings,  to  see  that  they 
agreed  with  the  items  on  the  custom  house  mani- 
fest, I  ventured  to  refer  to  the  apparent  discrim- 
ination in  favor  of  citizens  and  residents  who 
were  in  comparatively  comfortable  circumstances. 

While  the  man  did  not  seem  to  sympathize  with 
the  criticism,  he  could  not  deny  the  logic  of  my 
deduction. 

It  may  be  asked  by  the  reader  of  this  narrative, 
why  there  should  have  been  required  any  payment 
of  charges  by  the  federal  government  at  the  cus- 
tom house  on  the  border,  when  the  Mexican  Minis- 
ter had  promised  that  the  personal  effects  of  the 
missionary  would  be  admitted  free  of  duty.  When 
the  goods  of  the  latter  arrived  at  Paso  del  Norte, 
the  collector  of  the  port  had  not  yet  received  the 
promised  order  from  headquarters;  but  in  view 
of  the  documents  from  Washington  which  were 
shown  to  him,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  instruct  his 
subordinates  to  release  the  goods  for  immediate 
shipment  to  their  destination  in  the  interior.  How- 
ever, for  his  own  protection  he  felt  obliged  to  re- 
quire the  execution  of  a  bond,  by  the  terms  of 
which  the  usual  duties  should  be  paid  at  the  end 
of  three  months  if  by  that  time  no  instructions 
were  received  from  Mexico  City.  The  bond  was 
signed  by  a  leading  merchant  of  El  Paso  who  felt 
confident  that  in  the  end  there  would  be  no  disap- 
pointment of  our  expectations.  But  through  some 
oversight  or  misunderstanding  the  anticipated 
order  was  never  received.    Very  likely  the  govern- 


106  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

ment  itself  was  expecting  further  notification  from 
the  American  Board  or  its  humble  representative 
or  from  the  collector  of  the  port,  before  issuing 
the  necessary  order. 

In  the  year  1882  the  postage  on  an  ordinary 
letter  was  twenty-five  cents,  the  same  that  our 
fathers  had  to  pay  a  century  ago.  Under  those 
circumstances  a  good  deal  could  be  saved  by  carry- 
ing one's  letters  to  El  Paso  and  posting  them 
there,  if  one  had  occasion  to  visit  the  border  city. 
When  the  rate  was  reduced  to  ten  cents,  where  it 
remained  for  some  years  before  coming  dowTi  to 
five  cents,  a  similar  economy  was  possible,  though 
in  less  degree.  In  those  days  the  post  office  at 
the  capital  of  the  state  was  lighted  with  candles, 
and  the  few  individual  boxes  were  made  of  wood. 
When  an  American  presented  himself  at  the  one 
window  to  inquire  if  there  was  a  letter  for  himself, 
the  courteous  postmaster  would  hand  out  the 
whole  bunch  of  letters  addressed  to  foreigners, 
and  wait  for  him  to  look  them  over  and  take  what 
belonged  to  himself.  But  carriers  were  employed 
to  deliver  mail  matter  addressed  to  residences  or 
places  of  business.  AVhen  the  triweekly  mail  from 
the  United  States  arrived  at  the  close  of  day  and 
had  been  distributed,  the  letters  for  foreigners 
were  at  once  turned  over  to  some  one  of  the  group 
waiting  in  the  lobby,  usually  the  editor  of  the 
English-Spanish  weekly  newspaper,  who  read  in  a 
loud  voice  the  names  he  found  written  on  the 
envelopes ;  and  when  any  man  in  the  crowd  sung 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS    IN   CHIHUAHUA     107 

out  ''Here,"  the  letter  was  passed  to  him,  some- 
times through  the  hands  of  several  others. 

Although  all  this  seemed  very  primitive,  the 
Mexico  of  that  day  in  some  respects  was  already 
in  advance  of  our  own  country.  It  had  adopted 
the  metrical  system  of  weights  and  measures  for 
use  in  all  the  custom  houses  and  post  offices ;  and 
within  a  few  years  from  that  time  the  simple  and 
labor-saving  method  was  made  obligatory  in  all 
transactions.  Then  it  was  no  longer  possible  to 
buy  a  vara  of  cloth  (nearly  a  yard),  nor  an  arroba 
of  sugar  (twenty-five  pounds),  nor  to  purchase 
farming  lands  or  city  lots,  according  to  the  old 
measurement.  To  attempt  such  a  thing  rendered 
the  violator  of  the  law  liable  to  arrest  and  punish- 
ment. From  the  first  the  railroads  built  by  Ameri- 
cans adopted  the  same  system;  and  they  found 
that  it  saved  so  much  of  the  time  of  the  freight 
clerks  in  making  out  bills  of  lading,  and  in  other 
ways,  as  to  result  in  a  large  economy  in  operating 
expenses. 

Postal  rates  on  printed  matter  were  so  fixed  as 
to  promote  general  education.  All  such  matter 
was  carried  at  a  lower  charge  than  is  the  case 
with  us.  Text-books  for  the  use  of  pupils  in  the 
primary  and  grammar  grades  were  transported  at 
a  rate  that  seemed  little  more  than  nominal.  Our 
authors  and  publishers  would  find  it  very  conve- 
nient to  have  the  postal  service  carry  manuscripts 
for  publication,  and  corrected  proof  sheets  as 
well,  at  the  rate  of  one  cent  Mexican  for  100  grams, 


108  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

or  more  than  three  ounces.  All  missionary  propa- 
ganda that  was  carried  on  by  means  of  the  printed 
page,  or  through  the  maintenance  of  elementary 
school  instruction,  was  greatly  aided  by  this  en- 
lightened policy  of  the  government.  Its  mail  car- 
riers, who  in  the  mountainous  regions  of  that  state 
were  often  Indians  toiling  up  steep  trails  under 
the  weight  of  heavy  sacks  on  their  backs,  trans- 
ported Bibles  and  Testaments,  other  printed 
books,  and  tracts  at  an  expense  far  less  than 
would  have  been  incurred  in  our  own  land. 

After  a  time  the  vexing  alcahalas,  wiiich  were 
found  to  be  a  serious  hindrance  to  commerce  be- 
tween the  states  and  even  among  the  cities  of  any 
one  state,  were  abolished;  and  measures  Avere 
taken  to  protect  the  railroads  from  any  interfer- 
ence by  bandits  with  the  running  of  their  trains. 
A  very  drastic  law  was  enacted  whereby  anybody 
was  authorized  to  shoot  at  sight  individuals  who 
might  be  discovered  attempting  to  obstruct  their 
passage  or  rob  travelers.  The  result  was  that 
highway  robbery  became  very  infrequent;  and 
after  the  incursions  of  Apaches  from  Arizona 
ceased,  there  was  no  longer  any  occasion  for  the 
trains  to  carry  armed  guards. 

The  raids  of  the  redskins  had  become  so  fre- 
quent and  galling,  causing  the  destruction  of  both 
life  and  property,  that  the  state  government 
offered  a  reward  of  $250  for  every  scalp  of  a  war- 
rior which  might  be  brought  in.  On  Sunday,  the 
twenty-fifth  of  February,  1883,  just  before  the 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN   CHIHUAHUA    109 

hour  of  our  English  service,  word  was  passed 
around  that  the  authorities  would  do  honor  to 
certain  men  who  had  volunteered  to  go  on  that 
strange  kind  of  a  hunt  and  had  been  so  successful 
that  they  had  returned  bringing  with  them  sixteen 
of  the  ghastly  trophies.  The  natural  desire  of 
Americans  to  witness  so  rare  a  ceremony  left  me 
with  scarcely  anybody  to  preach  to ;  but  I  learned 
afterward  that  the  victors  were  welcomed  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  city,  and  decorated  with  ribbons 
suitably  inscribed,  and  addressed  with  speeches 
of  congratulation.  Then  they  marched  in  proces- 
sion around  the  main  plaza  carrying  aloft  on  poles 
the  scalps  they  had  taken,  the  one  who  was  re- 
garded as  the  greatest  hero  of  all  being  a  boy  in 
his  early  teens  who  had  two. 

On  Monday  morning  we  went  to  the  women's 
jail  to  visit  the  Apache  prisoners,  wives  and  chil- 
dren of  the  slain  warriors,  who  had  been  brought 
in  by  the  victors.  They  were  a  desolate  looking 
company;  and  I  could  not  speak  a  word  of  their 
language.  Most  of  the  children  were  given  to 
Mexican  families  to  serve  as  domestics,  while  the 
youngest  with  their  mothers  were  transported  to 
a  region  farther  south,  whence  it  would  be  impos- 
sible for  them  to  find  their  way  back  to  the  reser- 
vation in  the  United  States. 

At  that  time  there  existed  a  friendly  agreement 
between  the  authorities  on  both  sides  of  the  inter- 
national boundary,  that  whenever  a  military  force 
from  the  United  States  might  be  pursuing  Apaches 


no  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

*'on  a  hot  trail,"  it  need  not  nalt  at  the  border, 
but  was  at  liberty  to  continue  over  it  into  Mexico ; 
and  vice  versa,  a  force  of  Mexicans  in  pursuit  of 
the  same  Indians  should  be  allowed  to  enter  our 
country,  without  regard  to  boundary  lines.  There 
was  good  reason  for  the  making  of  such  a  conces- 
sion on  our  part,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  those 
savages,  who  in  their  forays  robbed  and  killed 
Mexicans,  were  our  wards,  for  whose  hostile  ac- 
tion we  might  justly  have  been  held  responsible. 
But  of  course  the  Mexicans  were  not  in  a  position 
to  enforce  any  demands  of  that  kind.  At  one 
time  our  troops  reached  a  point  three  hundred 
miles  south  of  the  border  in  the  state  of  Sonora, 
where  they  surprised  a  camp  of  Chief  Geronimo. 
Finally  in  1886,  on  the  fourth  of  September,  this 
chieftain  in  company  with  Naiche,  the  son  of 
Cochise,  surrended  to  General  Nelson  A.  Miles  at 
Skeleton  Canyon,  which  was  a  natural  route  from 
Mexico  to  Arizona,  along  which  both  Apaches  and 
our  troops  had  often  passed  and  repassed.  The 
scene  of  the  surrender  and  of  the  erection  of  a 
mound  of  rough  stones,  ten  feet  in  diameter  and 
six  feet  high,  to  confirm  the  treaty  there  made,  is  a 
few  miles  north  of  the  Mexican  boundary.  The 
event  brought  us  a  deep  sense  of  relief;  for  at 
times  during  the  four  years  since  our  taking  up 
residence  in  the  state,  there  had  been  a  feeling 
of  uncertainty  as  to  whether  we  ourselves  might 
not  be  in  danger  of  surprise  by  the  wily  enemy. 
That  there  was  ground  for  such  feeling  of  appre-. 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN   CHIHUAHUA     111 

hension  became  clear  afterwards  when  our  wider 
acquaintance  with  residents  of  settlements  scat- 
tered over  the  state  disclosed  persons  who  vividly 
recalled  those  troublous  times,  when  the  men  dared 
not  go  into  the  hills  to  cut  firewood  except  in  com- 
panies of  considerable  size  for  mutual  protection, 
because  some  of  their  neighbors  and  relatives  had 
been  ambushed  and  slain. 

At  the  time  of  our  advent  each  member  of  the 
police  force  carried  a  rifle  a,nd  a  revolver,  with 
the  addition  at  night  of  a  lantern.  Some  of  the 
Americans  humorously  suggested  that  probably 
the  light  was  for  the  purpose  of  letting  the  rogues 
see  where  the  guardian  of  public  order  was,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  avoid  him !  More  likely  the  lan- 
tern was  designed  to  aid  the  officer  in  his  investi- 
gation of  dark  and  suspicious-looking  corners,  or 
in  searching  a  house  or  store  whose  door  might 
have  been  found  unlocked ;  and  incidentally  to  ad- 
vertise the  fact  that  he  was  "on  the  job."  Often 
when  the  officer  was  standing  still  on  his  beat, 
the  lantern  was  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  street, 
especially  at  the  intersection  of  two  thorough- 
fares. And  all  through  the  night,  when  the  cathe- 
dral clock  struck  the  hours  and  the  quarters,  the 
weird  sound  of  the  policeman's  whistle  would  be 
heard;  and  to  listening  ears  the  signal  seemed  to 
say  '* All's  well." 

In  addition  to  the  police,  the  city  was  garrisoned 
by  a  considerable  military  force  representing  all 
arms  of  the  service.    Usually  there  was  a  regiment 


112  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

of  cavalry,  a  battalion  of  infantry  and  a  few  can- 
non of  small  caliber.  The  ranks  were  not  full ;  for 
there  were  small  detachments  of  troops  stationed 
at  points  scattered  over  the  state.  But  at  patriotic 
celebrations  held  in  the  theater,  looking  down  from 
a  vantage  point  in  one  of  the  balconies,  I  have 
counted  as  many  as  fifty  officers  in  uniform.  There 
was  always  a  brigadier  general  in  command.  Each 
regiment  or  battalion  had  its  own  band  of  at  least 
thirty-five  musicians ;  and  how  the  rather  slouchy- 
looking  men  did  play !  There  were  opportunities 
to  hear  them  several  times  a  week,  either  in  front 
of  their  barracks  or  in  one  of  the  parks,  by  day 
or  in  the  evening. 

"WHien  he  encouraged  the  building  of  the  Mexi- 
can Central,  and  later  of  other  lines  of  railway, 
General  Diaz  doubtless  had  in  mind  not  only  the 
economic  development  of  the  country,  but  also  the 
strengthening  of  the  power  of  the  federal  govern- 
ment and  the  welding  of  the  several  states  into  a 
closer  union.  Before  the  era  of  quick  communi- 
cation between  the  capital  and  the  more  distant 
provinces,  it  required  two  or  three  months  to 
transport  a  small  army  and  its  supplies  from 
Mexico  City  to  Chihuahua,  a  distance  of  a  thou- 
sand miles.  Consequently  a  revolution  in  that 
border  state  might  bring  about  a  change  of  admin- 
istration before  federal  soldiers  could  reach  the 
scene  of  disturbance ;  but  when  they  could  be  trans- 
ported in  a  couple  of  days,  the  situation  was  very 
different. 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN   CHIHUAHUA    113 

There  were  three  kinds  of  money  in  circulation : 
first,  silver  coins ;  second,  paper  money  issued  by 
the  local  banks,  of  the  denominations  of  25  cents, 
50  cents  and  $1.00,  and  handed  out  by  the  tellers 
in  packets  of  one  hundred  bills,  which  were  often 
accepted  without  being  counted,  and  which  cir- 
culated at  a  discount  of  eight  per  cent  as  compared 
with  specie;  and  bills  of  banks  in  different  parts 
of  the  republic,  principally  of  those  located  in 
Mexico  City.  The  bills  issued  in  some  other  states 
were  of  different  values,  in  terms  of  silver,  the 
market  price  often  depending  on  the  cost  of  trans- 
porting the  silver  from  the  location  of  the  bank 
to  where  the  paper  promise  was  accepted.  Along- 
side of  the  silver  coins  issued  in  accordance  with 
the  decimal  system,  were  still  circulated  many 
pieces  of  the  old  coinage,  such  as  reals  having  a 
value  of  twelve  and  a  half  cents,  and  half  reals. 
Then  there  were  the  copper  tlacos,  with  the  face 
value  of  one-quarter  of  a  real.  But  these  had  de- 
preciated in  value,  perhaps  through  the  enormous 
quantity  which  had  been  coined,  and  passed  for 
only  one-eighth  of  a  real. 

In  1882  the  Mexican  silver  dollar  was  discounted 
ten  per  cent  in  comparison  with  one  of  our  own 
coinage,  although  the  weight  of  the  former  slightly 
exceeded  that  of  the  latter.  At  the  end  of  ten 
years  it  was  quoted  at  eighty  cents  of  our  money. 
Coincident  with  the  fall  in  market  value  of  silver 
bullion,  the  dollar  suffered  a  further  decline  until 
it  reached  a  point  below  fifty  cents,  recalling  our 


114  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

experience  "s^^ith  "greenbacks"  during  the  dark 
days  of  the  Civil  War.  Business  enterprises  suf- 
fered still  further  embarrassment  from  the  rapid 
fluctuations  in  prices  quoted  from  day  to  da5\  The 
sale  of  checks  issued  by  the  treasurer  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board  became  something  of  a  gamble.  Quo- 
tations were  telegraphed  from  Mexico  City  at 
noon ;  and  it  was  an  interesting  problem  whether 
to  sell  the  exchange  on  Boston  before  noon  or 
after.  Since  the  price  might  be  raised  or  lowered 
as  much  as  two  per  cent  in  the  brief  interval,  the 
gain  or  loss  to  the  treasury  might  be  as  much  as 
$20  on  a  single  check  of  $1000. 

In  the  hope  of  removing  this  disturbing  element 
of  uncertainty,  which  for  some  time  had  seemed  to 
grow  worse,  the  federal  government  sent  to  Eu- 
rope a  commission  of  three  financiers  to  study  the 
monetary  problem,  one  of  whom  was  the  leading 
banker  of  Chihuahua,  Don  Enrique  C.  Creel,  who 
afterward  became  governor  of  the  state,  then  min- 
ister of  foreign  affairs  in  the  cabinet  of  President 
Diaz,  and  finally  ambassador  at  Washington. 
Upon  his  return  he  invited  a  number  of  us,  repre- 
sentatives of  different  nationalities,  to  meet  with 
leading  Mexicans  in  the  drawing-room  of  his  pri- 
vate residence,  when  he  told  something  about  the 
investigations  and  conclusions  of  his  committee. 
Later  he  published  a  pamphlet  on  the  subject.  The 
net  result  was  that  the  country  adopted  the  gold 
standard  on  the  basis  of  a  unit  value  of  fifty 
cents  for  the  silver  dollar,  which  of  course  was 


ECONOMIC   CONDITIONS   IN   CHIHUAHUA     115 

an  approximation  to  its  bullion  value,  and  this 
served  to  put  a  stop  to  the  fluctuations  in  the  price 
of  ''exchange." 

A  large  quantity  of  gold  coins  were  minted,  of 
the  denominations  of  $5,  $10  and  $20  Mexican, 
having,  of  course,  but  one-half  the  weight  of  the 
gold  pieces  of  the  same  denominations  coined  by 
the  United  States.  Also  were  there  introduced  im- 
provements in  the  subsidiary  coinage  of  silver  and 
copper — the  old  reals  and  fractions  of  the  same 
having  already  disappeared  from  circulation.  The 
notes  of  all  the  banks  of  emission  were  received 
at  par,  and  readily  redeemed  in  specie  when  de- 
sired. In  the  meantime  the  foreign  debt  had  been 
refunded  at  a  lower  rate  of  interest,  much  lower 
than  our  own  government  had  been  compelled  to 
pay  during  the  throes  of  the  Civil  War,  because 
the  Mexican  government  was  meeting  its  obliga- 
tions promptly,  and  its  credit  abroad  had  conse- 
quently risen. 


CHAPTER  IX 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION 


The  first  step  after  arrival  in  the  city  was  to 
find  a  house  suitable  for  our  purpose;  centrally 
located  and  having  a  salu  large  enough  to  accom- 
modate a  small  assemblage  for  public  worship. 
Soon  we  secured  a  convenient  place  of  residence 
on  Aldama  Street,  only  one  short  block  from  the 
plaza.  The  owner  was  an  elderly  spinster  of 
French  descent,  who  had  come  from  St.  Louis 
many  years  before  to  engage  in  teaching,  but  was 
now  retired  from  active  service.  She  was  pleased 
to  have  for  tenants  a  respectable  family  compris- 
ing women  and  children,  rather  than  unattached 
men  who  might  on  short  notice  abandon  their 
lodgings.  An  American  resident  introduced  me 
to  the  lady  who,  after  learning  our  errand,  agreed 
to  rent  the  house  for  a  stipulated  sum,  and  handed 
over  the  bunch  of  keys. 

Inspection  of  the  premises  made  it  plain  that 
some  repairs  were  needed  before  the  rooms  would 
be  fit  for  occupancy.  Therefore  on  the  following 
day  I  went  again  to  see  the  landlady  and  ask  her 
to  be  so  kind  as  to  put  the  place  in  better  order. 
To  my  great  surprise  she  requested  the  return  of 

116 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  117 

the  keys,  saying  she  had  learned  that  I  was 
a  Protestant  minister,  and  she  supposed  I 
would  hold  religious  services  in  the  sala  of  her 
house.  I  admitted  that  my  countrymen  would  be 
invited  to  meet  for  worship  in  that  room  until  they 
could  rent  some  kind  of  a  hall  to  serve  for  a  chapel. 
"But  after  a  while  you  will  invite  the  Mexicans 
to  meet  with  you."  My  rejoinder  was:  **I  do  not 
know  that  they  will  care  to  come. "  ''Oh,  they  will 
come,"  she  said.  That  was  about  the  first  word 
spoken  by  anybody  which  encouraged  me  to  think 
that  in  time  the  simple  gospel  would  win  a  hearing 
from  the  people  of  the  land.  She  was  frank  enough 
to  say  that  if  only  we  were  in  St.  Louis,  she  would 
have  no  objection  to  us  as  tenants,  adding  that  in 
the  circle  of  her  friends  there  were  some  Protes- 
tant ministers,  ''but  it  would  scandalize  this  whole 
city  for  me  to  rent  my  house  to  you  who  have  come 
to  establish  a  new  religion." 

She  was  immovable  and  the  case  appeared  hope- 
less ;  for  as  yet  there  had  not  been  drawn  up  any 
rent  contract  in  writing  with  revenue  stamps 
affixed  to  make  it  effective.  If  those  keys  had  been 
in  my  pocket,  undoubtedly  they  w^ould  have  been 
surrendered  to  their  owner.  But  they  were  of 
great  size  and  correspondingly  heavy,  similar  in 
dimensions  to  the  key  of  the  Bastille  which  La- 
fayette gave  to  Washington,  and  which  is  guarded 
with  other  precious  relics  at  Mount  Vernon. 
Therefore  they  could  not  be  stowed  in  an  ordinary 
pocket,  and  had  been  left  at  the  hotel.  Fortunately 


118  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

I  went  at  once  to  the  friendly  mayor  to  apprise 
him  of  our  predicament,  and  he  cast  a  new  light 
on  the  situation.  ' '  She  agreed  to  let  you  have  her 
house  for  a  stipulated  monthly  rental?"  "Yes." 
"She  gave  you  the  keys  to  that  house?"  "Yes." 
"And  in  presence  of  a  friend  who  might  serve  as 
witness  to  the  transaction?"  "Yes."  "Then 
send  to  her  by  the  hand  of  two  persons  money  to 
pay  the  rent  for  one  month,  and  have  them  bring 
back  her  receipt  for  the  same.  If  she  accepts  the 
money,  well  and  good;  but  should  she  decline  to 
receive  it,  then  deposit  it  with  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  get  his  receipt.  The  law  protects  you 
as  tenant;  and  she  cannot  dispossess  you,  unless 
she  desires  to  sell  the  property  or  to  occupy  the 
premises  herself.  If  3^ou  surrender  those  keys, 
you  might  just  as  well  pack  your  trunks  and  re- 
turn to  the  United  States;  for  no  one  else  in 
this  city  will  rent  you  a  house  now.  They  are 
two  hundred  years  behind  the  times. ' ' 

Two  gentlemen  consented  to  carry  the  money  to 
the  landlady,  quite  confident  of  being  able  to  ob- 
tain a  receipt  for  it;  but  they  soon  returned  and 
reported  failure  in  their  mission,  assuring  me  with 
emphasis:  "She  will  never  touch  your  money." 

Then  the  editor  of  the  American  newspaper, 
who  could  speak  Spanish,  accompanied  me  to  the 
office  of  the  judge.  The  latter  gave  close  attention 
to  my  statement,  through  the  interpreter,  of  the 
circumstances  comiected  with  the  case;  and  when 
I  had  finished,  he  replied  in  excellent  English,  say- 


FOUNDING  A  NEW   MISSION  119 

ing  that  he  had  understood  every  word.  Evidently 
he  had  allowed  all  to  pass  through  the  medium  of 
the  other's  translation  in  order  to  satisfy  himself 
as  to  whether  both  of  us  were  speaking  the  truth. 
Then  he  gave  me  a  receipt  for  the  money  which  he 
was  going  to  deposit  in  one  of  the  banks.  The  nec- 
essary repairs  to  the  dwelling  were  made  at  our 
own  expense;  and  on  the  first  Sunday  after  we 
occupied  it,  the  doors  were  thrown  open  for  an 
afternoon  service  in  English.  But  the  account  of 
what  was  done  for  our  countrymen  mil  be  given 
in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

Although  we  had  arrived  at  El  Paso  early  in 
November,  so  much  time  was  consumed  in  waiting 
at  the  border  for  our  belongings,  and  again  in  the 
Chiliuahua  hotel,  that  it  was  now  after  the  middle 
of  December;  and  an  unusually  cold  winter  had 
set  in.  Soon  there  came  a  fall  of  snow  to  the  depth 
of  several  inches;  and  it  was  necessary  to  shovel 
it  off  the  flat  roofs  which  surrounded  the  court  on 
all  four  sides,  in  order  to  prevent  the  leaking  of 
water  into  the  rooms  below.  Since  the  house  was 
eighty  feet  in  width  and  built  against  the  adjoin- 
ing houses  on  both  sides,  the  snow  was  thrown  into 
the  court;  but  across  this  were  cleared  two  or 
three  paths  to  give  access  to  the  principal  rooms. 
One  of  the  paths  led  from  our  bedroom  to  the 
dining-room,  which  could  not  be  heated;  and  the 
only  way  to  light  it  was  by  leaving  open  the  heavy 
wooden  door.  The  accumulated  snow  transformed 
the  interior  of  the  house  into  an  ice  chest,  and  the 


120  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

ladies  seated  at  table  for  their  meals,  wore  the 
circular  cloaks  lined  with  fur  which  had  been  their 
defense  against  the  rigors  of  winter  at  the  north, 
while  I  was  protected  by  an  overcoat.  But  within 
a  few  days  the  snow  had  melted ;  and  a  wood  fire 
in  an  imported  stove,  which  had  been  set  up  in  the 
living-room,  brought  grateful  relief. 

When  the  pleasing  and  capable  Mexican  woman, 
who  had  been  engaged  to  perform  domestic  ser- 
vice, had  suddenly  disappeared  at  the  behest  of 
her  priestly  adviser,  there  Avas  found  a  man,  teach- 
able, honest  and  faithful,  to  work  in  the  kitchen 
and  sometimes  tend  the  baby.  During  the  hour  of 
our  religious  service  in  the  sola  he  would  give  him- 
self to  the  diligent  reading  in  the  kitchen  of  a  man- 
ual of  prayers  and  devotions  to  the  saints,  thus  to 
protect  his  soul  against  contamination  by  the  her- 
etics. On  the  front  doors  of  the  cathedral  was 
posted  a  notice  signed  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese, 
which  warned  the  faithful,  under  pain  of  excom- 
munication, not  to  work  for  us,  nor  sell  to  us  food 
or  furniture,  and  especially  not  to  attend  our  reli- 
gious meetings.  With  the  object  of  continuing 
the  study  of  Spanish  which  had  been  begun  in 
Boston,  it  was  arranged  with  the  professor  of 
English  at  the  state  college  to  give  me  private  les- 
sons at  our  residence.  He  failed  to  come  at  the 
hour  indicated,  but  sent  a  note  asking  to  be  ex- 
cused on  the  plea  that  he  had  so  much  to  do.  It 
was  learned  that  while  he  himself  had  no  religious 
prejudice,  for  the  sake  of  peace  in  the  family — 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  121 

his  wife  objecting  strongly  to  his  teaching  a  Prot- 
estant minister  to  speak  their  lang-uage — he  felt 
compelled  to  break  his  engagement. 

In  the  meantime  my  sister-in-law  was  giving 
lessons  in  English  to  a  few  Mexican  gentlemen 
who  had  called  while  we  were  yet  staying  in  the 
hotel,  and  had  prevailed  upon  her  to  teach  them. 
One  was  a  popular  teacher  of  the  piano;  another 
had  a  private  school  for  boys ;  a  third  was  a  law- 
yer, who  afterward  became  the  attorney  for  the 
Banco  Minero;  still  another,  son  of  a  former  gover- 
nor of  the  state,  was  a  rising  attorney  whose  pro- 
fessional library  consisted  mainly  of  works  in  the 
French  language.  This  last,  upon  learning  of  the 
impossibility  of  getting  anyone  to  teach  me  the 
Spanish,  very  kindly  offered  to  instruct  me  him- 
self without  charge,  coming  to  my  study  for  the 
purpose,  after  his  teacher  had  dismissed  her  class. 

One  evening,  in  the  course  of  a  somewhat  inti- 
mate conversation,  he  informed  me  that  in  his 
childhood  he  believed  all  that  was  taught  him,  and 
was  accustomed  to  kneel  in  church  by  the  side  of 
his  mother  and  repeat  the  prescribed  prayers. 
' ' But  now, ' '  said  he, ' ' I  believe  nothing  of  all  that ; 
I  am  an  atheist."  Probably  it  would  have  been 
nearer  the  truth  for  him  to  say : ' '  I  am  an  infidel. ' ' 
His  attitude  toward  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
was  typical  of  that  of  multitudes  of  the  more  in- 
telligent men  in  professional,  business,  military 
and  official  circles  in  Mexico. 

Later  I  had  occasion  to  call  at  the  residence  of 


122  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

a  cultivated  gentleman  who  was  holding  at  the 
same  time  two  offices,  being  president  of  the  state 
college  and  superintendent  of  public  instruction. 
When  he  found  me  seated  just  inside  the  door 
of  the  well-furnished  sala,  he  insisted  upon  con- 
ducting me,  quite  after  the  manner  of  a  punctilious 
oriental,  to  the  seat  of  honor  on  the  sofa  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  room,  while  he  seated  himself 
in  a  chair  near  by.  He  explained  the  presence  of  a 
handsomely  framed  picture  of  the  Virgin  of  Gua- 
dalupe which  hung  against  the  wall  at  my  left,  by 
saying  that  it  was  a  gift  to  his  wife  by  friends 
of  hers.  He  then  directed  my  attention  to  a  large 
picture  on  the  opposite  wall,  of  very  different 
character.  It  presented  an  interior  view  of  the 
refectory  of  a  monastery,  the  stone  walls  and 
arches  being  of  massive  construction.  At  the  table 
were  seated  two  monks  wearing  the  habit  of  their 
particular  order.  Before  them  were  decanters  and 
wine  glasses;  and  their  faces  were  sensual  and 
bloated.  One  of  the  two  was  diverting  himself  by 
torturing  a  fly.  The  insect  dangled  from  a  string 
held  aloft  by  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand,  while  in 
the  other  was  a  pair  of  scissors  with  which  the 
lazy  monk  was  clipping  the  hapless  fly's  wings 
and  legs.  Thus  were  priests  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  presented  to  view  in  a  most  re- 
pugnant aspect,  and  in  marked  contrast  to  the  de- 
vout face  and  mien  of  the  Virgin.  Said  the  official 
with  a  smile :  ^'I  tell  my  friends  that  they  may  take 
their  choice."    He  also  stated  that  he  allowed  his 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  123 

wife  to  attend  Mass,  but  that  he  had  forbidden 
her  to  go  to  confession.  Of  course  then  it  was  not 
possible  for  her  to  be  in  good  standing  in  the  com- 
munion of  her  church. 

Many  similar  cases  might  be  cited  of  men  of  my 
acquaintance  who  took  the  position  of  saying  in 
effect,  with  regard  to  what  they  knew  of  the  Chris- 
tain  religion,  ''If  that  is  Christianity,  I  cannot 
accept  it;  I  am  an  infidel."    Such  a  declaration 
as  that  has  my  sympathy ;  for  it  does  credit  to  both 
mind  and  heart.    But  what  a  lamentable  result  of 
the  teaching  and  the  mode  of  life  of  most  of  the 
priests  in  Latin  America!     Men  who  have  been 
forced  into  infidelity  by  having  pressed  upon  them 
such  a  caricature  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  prefer 
to  call  themselves  ''freethinkers,"  claiming  the 
right  to  form  their  own  opinions  concerning  re- 
ligious matters  without  being  dictated  to  by  an 
ecclesiastical  caste  or  class  of  men  who,  they  feel, 
are  holding  the  minds  and  souls  of  their  wives  and 
daughters  in  spiritual  bondage.     In  the  public 
schools  the  greater  part  of  the  men  engaged  in 
teaching,  and  a  considerable  part  of  the  women 
instructors  as  well,  demand  for  themselves  this 
freedom   of   thought;   and   even   the   older  boys 
among  the  pupils  are  familiar  with  the  term  li- 
hrepensador  and  rather  pride  themselves  upon 
being  freethinkers. 

The  owner  and  editor  of  "The  Chihuahua 
Mail,"  which  was  printed  in  two  languages  and 
had  a  weekly  circulation  in  the  state  of  nearly  two 


124  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

thousand  copies,  began  to  suffer  some  inconve- 
nience from  religious  bigotry,  because  he  pub- 
lished notices  of  our  church  services  in  both  Eng- 
lish and  Spanish.  Some  of  his  patrons  threatened 
to  withdraw  their  advertising  if  he  continued  to 
favor  us  in  that  way.  They  demanded  that  at  least 
he  should  put  those  notices  among  the  advertise- 
ments and  exact  payment  for  them  at  regular 
rates.  But  he  continued  to  print  in  a  prominent 
place,  and  gratuitously,  our  announcements,  and 
invited  me  to  write  regularly  for  the  columns  of 
the  paper.  Although  not  a  member  of  the  church, 
he  made  a  detennined  stand  for  religious  free- 
dom; and  even  purchased  of  me  a  Spanish  Bible 
and  laid  it  on  the  counter  of  his  office  where  all 
callers  would  see  it. 

On  Sunday  evening.  May  20th,  was  held  the  first 
service  in  Spanish,  one  almost  exclusively  of  song. 
An  American  lady  gave  valuable  help  with  her 
powerful  soprano  voice  and  perhaps  still  more  by 
her  very  presence,  since  she  was  widely  known 
as  the  wife  of  the  first  foreign  physician  and  sur- 
geon to  establish  himself  in  Chihuahua.  Several 
other  Americans  came  to  the  meeting ;  and  the  or- 
gan playing,  together  with  the  singing,  quickly  at- 
tracted a  crowd  of  Mexicans  to  the  open  windows. 
Some  of  them  were  persuaded  to  enter;  and  all 
listened  respectfully  to  the  reading  of  the  hymns 
which  afterward  were  sung,  and  to  the  verbal 
translation  by  the  leader  of  texts  from  the  Eng- 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  125 

lish  Bible  which  had  been  displayed  upon  the  walls 
of  the  temporary  chapel  for  months  past. 

One  week  later,  in  addition  to  the  singing,  there 
were  given  readings  from  the  Scriptures,  espe- 
cially the  twenty-third  psalm.  About  the  third 
week  the  principal  of  the  private  school  for  boys, 
who  had  had  a  talk  with  me  about  our  religion  and 
had  purchased  a  copy  of  the  Spanish  Bible  of  the 
largest  size,  reported  what  he  had  heard  said  by 
somebody  who  was  listening  on  the  outside  and 
seemed  rather  puzzled  by  the  proceedings  within. 
The  remark  was :  ''What  kind  of  a  religion  is  this? 
No  prayer  nor  preaching ;  only  reading  and  sing- 
ing!" Therefore  I  determined  to  go  a  step 
further  and  present,  if  possible,  a  closer  approxi- 
mation to  an  orderly  religious  service  including 
the  sermon.  Already  was  I  writing  compositions 
to  be  corrected  by  my  teacher.  Why  not  select  a 
religious  topic  and  prepare  a  discourse  suitable 
for  the  pulpit?  In  accordance  with  the  new  plan, 
on  the  fourth  Sunday  evening  I  read  some  collects 
from  the  Episcopal  Book  of  Common  Prayer  in 
Spanish  besides  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  recited 
the  Apostles'  Creed;  read  the  fourth  chapter  of 
the  Gospel  according  to  John — the  story  of  the 
conversation  of  Jesus  with  the  woman  of  Samaria 
who  asked  Him  concerning  the  place  where 
men  ought  to  worship;  and  then  presented  the 
composition  which  had  been  prepared  on  the  sub- 
ject of  "Worship," — the  spiritual  kind  to  be  of- 
fered to  a  spiritual  Being.    The  reading  occupied 


126  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

from  twelve  to  fifteen  minutes,  and  was  listened 
to  with  profound  attention.  Evidently  my  hearers 
understood  what  was  said.  After  it  was  all  over, 
and  the  people  had  gone,  it  seemed  like  a  dream 
that  I  had  been  preaching  in  Spanish  to  Mexicans ! 
Thus  had  cherished  hopes  begun  to  be  fulfilled. 

During  the  preceding  months  there  had  been 
put  into  circulation  many  copies  of  the  Bible,  either 
as  a  whole  or  in  part,  and  a  lot  of  other  books  and 
tracts,  through  the  display  in  the  little  show 
window  of  my  study  which  faced  the  street.  Upon 
a  table  behind  the  glass  were  arranged  in  an  at- 
tractive manner  a  variety  of  volumes,  vnth  a  Bible 
of  large  size  for  the  pulpit  lying  open  in  the  center. 
Day  by  day  were  turned  the  leaves  of  the  book, 
in  order  that  the  regular  passersby  might,  if  they 
wished,  read  different  portions  of  the  volume.  A 
little  book  published  by  the  American  Tract  So- 
ciety was  full  of  pictures  that  children  loved  to 
look  at.  It  was  a  translation  of  the  Tract  Primer 
which  was  widely  read  in  my  o\\ti  childhood,  and 
contained  nothing  in  criticism  of  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church;  and  it  became  very  popular.  The 
mother  of  a  prominent  banker  came  to  the  house 
repeatedly  to  buy  copies  for  presents  to  her 
grandchildren. 

It  would  have  given  me  great  pleasure  to  offer 
for  sale  the  Roman  Catholic  Bible,  because  then 
it  would  have  been  easy  to  prove  the  falsity  of  the 
charge  made  by  the  priests  that  we  were  putting 
into  circulation  a  mutilated  book.    But  the  stand- 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  127 

ard  work  was  very  costly,  consisting  of  the  Latin 
version  by  Jerome,  commonly  called  the  Vulgate, 
and  the  Spanish  by  Padre  Scio,  in  parallel  col- 
umns; having  foot-notes  in  Spanish  on  every 
page,  which  were  explanatory  of  the  text  or  quoted 
comments  by  early  church  fathers ;  and  containing 
numerous  steel-plate  engravings  illustrative  of  sa- 
cred history.  But  this  edition  was  in  five  volumes 
bound  in  leather,  and  sold  at  that  time  in  New 
York  for  fifty  dollars.  There  was  a  cheaper  edi- 
tion in  two  volumes  obtainable  for  about  twenty 
dollars.  But  even  this  was  far  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  mass  of  the  people,  when  unskilled  laborers 
were  receiving  less  than  fifty  cents  per  diem,  a 
wage  which  did  not  provide  them  with  decent 
clothing  and  nourishing  food. 

The  faithful  were  warned  not  to  purchase  any 
books  which  bore  on  the  title  page  the  name  ' '  New 
York."  Consequently  it  was  arranged  later  to 
insert  in  copies  of  the  Spanish  New  Testament 
and  single  Gospels  which  were  designed  for  our 
use,  a  special  title  page  that  did  not  mention  that 
city.  I  wanted  to  have  omitted  also  the  words, 
''American  Bible  Society,"  but  one  of  the  secre- 
taries wrote  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  retain 
those  words  in  order  to  meet  legal  requirements. 
However,  he  did  obtain  for  us  from  Europe,  and  at 
a  comparatively  low  price,  copies  of  the  Padre 
Scio  version  in  one  volume,  bound  in  cloth;  and 
these  served  the  purpose  of  demonstrating  to  the 
satisfaction  of  intelligent  persons  who  honestly 


128  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

desired  to  know  the  facts  of  the  case,  that  there 
was  no  essential  difference  between  this  transla- 
tion and  that  of  the  Protestants;  and,  further, 
that  the  books  included  in  both  Bibles  were  very 
nearly  the  same. 

In  some  small  towns  the  priests  succeeded  in 
getting  hold  of  a  few  copies  of  our  Bible ;  and  they 
burned  them  in  public  as  pestilent  books  which 
were  a  menace  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  welfare 
of  the  people.  But  for  this  mild  form  of  auto-da- 
fe  they  were  not  able  to  gather  much  material; 
for  the  simple  reason  that  we  did  not  give  away 
any  Bibles,  Testaments  or  Gospels.  Those  who 
possessed  these  books  had  paid  cash  for  them  out 
of  their  scanty  earnings,  and  consequently  were 
loath  to  part  with  them  at  the  behest  of  the  padre; 
and  when  they  had  had  time  to  read  them  thor- 
oughly and  to  appreciate  their  contents,  finding 
these  to  be  not  corrupting  but  elevating,  they  were 
not  so  easily  terrified  by  the  denunciations  of  an 
angry  priest. 

In  those  earlier  years  even  the  tracts  were  not 
distributed  gratuitously,  but  were  sold  at  prices 
graded  according  to  the  number  of  pages  in  each 
one.  The  only  exceptions  occurred  in  connection 
with  selling  copies  of  the  Scriptures.  Thus  to  the 
purchaser  of  a  Bible  would  often  be  donated,  as 
a  sort  of  premium,  a  tract  in  the  form  of  a  booklet 
which  might  be  priced  at  from  five  to  eight  cents; 
w^ith  a  Testament  might  be  given  one  that  was 
worth  three  or  four  cents;  while  a  Gospel  might 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  129 

be  accompanied  by  a  still  cheaper  tract  of  four 
or  eight  pages.  The  endeavor  was  to  select  a  tract 
which  might  give  needed  help  or  guidance  to  an 
unaccustomed  reader  of  the  Scriptures. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  priests  were  un- 
willing to  have  the  common  people  get  hold  of  a 
book  which,  if  it  were  studied  with  an  open  mind, 
would  produce  an  impression  so  largely  at  vari- 
ance with  many  things  which  they  had  been  taught 
to  believe.  They  were  reluctant  to  permit  even 
those  belonging  to  the  educated  classes  to  investi- 
gate for  themselves  the  sacred  volume.  Let  it  be 
remembered  in  this  connection  that  what  is  here 
set  down  does  not  refer  to  the  more  liberal  and  en- 
lightened administration  of  ecclesiastical  affairs 
in  England  and  in  the  United  States,  but  to  what 
is  done  by  the  majority  of  the  priests  who  serve 
the  Roman  Church  in  the  Latin  American  coun- 
tries. 

One  instance  of  this  priestly  distrust  of  the 
Bible,  which  came  under  my  close  observation,  will 
show  to  what  lengths  of  sheerest  folly  it  can  lead 
an  honest  bigot  or  an  insincere  official  of  the 
church.  A  well-informed  gentleman  who  was  in 
charge  of  hundreds  of  customhouse  guards,  sta- 
tioned over  a  wide  area  bordering  on  the  United 
States  and  reporting  regularly  to  him  at  the  cen- 
tral office  in  Chihuahua,  told  me  that  he  asked 
a  leading  priest  in  the  city  to  be  so  kind  as  to  lend 
to  him  a  copy  of  the  Bible  of  the  Roman  Catliolic 
Church,  but  that  the  priest  denied  his  request. 


130  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

Later,  when  that  same  gentleman  wished  to  give 
his  son  the  advantages  of  a  course  of  professional 
study  in  my  country,  he  came  to  me  for  advice. 
From  among  several  schools  of  dentistry  which 
were  recommended  to  him,  he  chose  the  one  of  the 
Iowa  State  University,  on  account  of  its  being 
nearer  home.  The  young  man  was  examined  by 
me  as  to  his  command  of  the  English  language, 
which  was  found  to  be  excellent,  and  he  carried 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  Chancellor  J.  L.  Pick- 
ard.  Three  years  later,  when  the  coveted  diploma 
had  been  won.  Dr.  Pickard  wrote  of  him:  ''His 
standing  was  at  the  head  of  his  class  of  sixty- 
one,  or  very  near  it.  The  Dean  of  the  Faculty 
said  to  me  a  few  days  ago,  'Barrera  is  a  model 
student;  I  wish  there  were  more  like  him.'  .  .  . 
I  have  seen  him  every  week,  and  can  say  that  I 
have  never  met  a  young  man  more  self-respecting, 
more  polite,  more  careful  of  his  reputation.  .  .  . 
All  who  have  met  him  here  have  only  words  of 
praise  for  him.  I  wish  you  might  send  up  others 
like  him.  He  must  have  an  excellent  mother  and 
a  wise  father.  I  thought  you  were  entitled  to 
know  of  his  work  here,  and  that  he  has  met  fully 
your  recommendation  of  him." 

During  all  the  years  of  my  residence  in  Chi- 
huahua it  was  my  custom  to  take  sympathetic 
advantage  of  the  church  year  in  my  religious 
teaching,  as  well  as  on  their  national  days  to  call 
attention  to  what  the  Bible  says  regarding  respect 
for  civil  authorities,  and  to  urge  the  members  of 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  131 

our  local  church  to  pray  for  grace  and  wisdom  to 
be  granted  those  who  were  charged  wdth  adminis- 
tering the  affairs  of  government.  One  year 
there  were  given  out  handbills  announcing  special 
services  during  the  lenten  season,  with  the  added 
statement  that  all  the  Scripture  lessons  would  be 
taken  from  the  Roman  Catholic  Bible.  One  Sun- 
day morning,  during  the  session  of  the  Bible 
school,  a  policeman  called  at  our  place  of  worship 
and  asked  for  a  copy  of  the  handbill,  which  was 
given  to  him,  and  nothing  more  thought  about  it. 
But  afterward  was  it  learned  that  the  mayor  of 
the  city  in  conversation  with  a  prominent  attorney 
had  told  the  latter  that  the  Protestants  were  using 
in  their  services  the  Roman  Catholic  Bible.  He 
could  not  believe  this  to  be  true.  Then  the  mayor 
laid  a  wager  that  it  was  even  so.  His  challenge 
having  been  accepted,  he  dispatched  an  officer  to 
obtain  a  copy  of  the  handbill,  thus  furnishing 
proof  of  his  assertion  which  the  lawyer  could  not 
gainsay. 

Whichever  one  of  the  five  elegantly  bound  vol- 
umes might  be  opened  on  the  desk,  attention  was 
called  first  to  the  title  page,  from  which  it  ap- 
peared that  the  book  had  been  printed  in  Bar- 
celona, Spain,  con  las  licencias  necesarias ;  that  is 
to  say,  it  had  the  required  approval  of  the  Church. 
Then  followed  the  reading  of  the  selected  portion ; 
and  often  was  the  reading  suspended  long  enough 
to  present,  from  the  notes  at  the  bottom  of  the 
page,  a  helpful  comment  made  by  some  one  of  the 


132  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

church  fathers  of  the  early  centuries.  Sometimes 
the  comment  was  enlightening  to  one  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  Roman  communion,  because  it 
showed  that  certain  of  the  teachings  and  the  prac- 
tices of  the  priests  in  Mexico  were  not  in  accord 
With  the  spirit  of  that  comment,  and  consequently 
not  in  accord  with  the  doctrines  of  their  own  Bible. 
That  appears  to  me  to  be  a  sufficient  explanation 
of  the  unwillingness  of  the  priests  to  have  the 
people  read  the  Scriptures  for  themselves,  even 
when  those  Scriptures  are  the  very  ones  printed 
con  las  licencias  necesarias. 

Early  in  May,  our  infant  son,  never  robust,  be- 
came very  ill,  and  there  was  held  a  consultation 
of  physicians.  The  child  rallied  for  a  time;  but 
toward  the  end  of  a  summer  whose  extreme  heat, 
added  to  the  work  of  studying  Spanish  and  caring 
for  services  in  two  languages,  had  depleted  the 
strength  of  all  of  us,  we  carried  the  child  to  cool 
"Wisconsin  in  the  endeavor  to  save  the  precious 
life.  But  soon  the  sweet  spirit  took  its  flight  to 
the  better  land. 

Returning  in  the  autumn  to  our  foreign  home 
we  resumed  both  branches  of  the  work  under  fa- 
voring conditions.  The  officers  of  the  American 
Evangelical  Society  and  their  wives  were  invited 
to  take  tea  with  us  and  consider  plans  for  the 
coming  year.  We  made  out  a  list  of  fifty  families 
on  the  ground,  besides  single  men  who  might  be 
considered  as  belonging  to  our  parish.  But  the 
most  cheering  thing,  which  came  to  our  knowledge 


First  Fruits  of  the  New  Mission 


FOUNDING  A  NEW  MISSION  133 

a  few  hours  after  our  arrival,  was  the  fact  that  a 
Mexican  and  his  wife,  who  had  many  acquaint- 
ances in  the  city  and  who  had  bought  of  me  before 
our  departure  a  large  Bible,  had  been  reading  it 
diligently,  and  as  a  result  had  been  thoroughly 
converted,  and  desired  at  the  earliest  opportunity 
to  make  confession  of  faith  in  Christ  as  their 
Savior, 

On  the  eighteenth  of  November  these  two,  ac- 
companied by  eight  or  ten  of  their  Mexican 
friends,  attended  the  afternoon  service  in  English, 
a  language  which  none  of  them  understood.  At 
the  close  notice  was  given  of  what  was  about  to 
take  place ;  and  the  suggestion  was  made  that  after 
the  ceremony  of  their  reception  was  concluded, 
all  the  Christians  present  give  a  right  hand  of 
fellowship  and  friendliness  to  the  new  believers. 
To  my  surprise  and  joy  nearly  all  the  Americans, 
whether  avowed  church  members  or  not,  before 
passing  out  shook  hands  with  the  two  Mexicans. 
It  was  a  delightful  scene  of  international  good 
will  and  of  sympathy  with  our  special  work.  Even 
Don  Felipe's  old  mother,  a  communicant  in  the 
ancient  church,  had  come  to  witness  the  ceremony; 
and  she  warmly  grasped  my  hand  in  both  of  hers 
while  the  tears  rolled  down  her  cheeks,  thus  ac- 
knowledging a  common  bond  of  Christian  faith. 
Great  was  our  rejoicing  over  this  gathering  of  the 
first  fruits  of  the  harvest  which  was  to  be. 


CHAPTER  X 

A  TOURING  EVANGELIST 

Early  in  December  I  started  south  with  a  stock 
of  sixty  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  as  a  whole  or  in 
part,  and  twenty-five  hundred  tracts.  My  first 
stop  was  at  Santa  Rosalia,  a  to^vn  of  about  five 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  distant  one  hundred 
miles.  After  dinner  I  went  to  the  market  to  offer 
my  books,  and  before  sunset  had  sold  them  all. 
The  next  morning  in  the  same  place  all  the  tracts 
remaining  in  my  possession  were  disposed  of  be- 
fore ten  o'clock,  some  of  the  street  venders  buy- 
ing small  stocks  of  the  booklets  w^hich  were  offered 
at  prices  so  low  as  to  leave  them  a  good  margin 
for  profit.  As  no  material  remained  for  other 
places  along  the  line  of  projected  travel,  it  seemed 
best  to  return  home. 

In  January  was  undertaken  a  trip  to  Parral, 
which  was  distant  two  hundred  miles  by  rail  and 
diligence,  with  the  object  of  visiting  a  small  group 
of  believers  who  had  drifted  there  from  the 
Laguna  district  further  south,  where  they  had 
heard  the  truth  from  Presbyterian  brethren ;  and 
at  the  same  time  to  test  the  attitude  of  the  general 
public  by  offering  them  our  publications.     The 

134 


A  TOURING   EVANGELIST  135 

market  was  housed  in  a  fine  building  of  stone  and 
iron,  which  had  been  given  by  a  German  long  resi- 
dent in  that  city.  When  application  was  made  to 
the  Mexican  superintendent  for  a  permit  to  sell 
there  my  books  and  tracts,  for  a  moment  he  was 
puzzled  as  to  the  kind  of  form  he  should  use.  He 
would  have  had  no  difficulty  in  arranging  for  the 
sale  of  meats  or  fresh  vegetables;  of  milk  and 
cheese ;  of  corn,  beans  and  rice ;  of  clothing,  hats, 
shoes,  and  sandals;  of  saddles  and  bridles,  spurs 
and  lariats;  of  domestic  utensils  of  iron,  brass, 
copper,  tin,  glass  and  china ;  but  books  and  tracts  I 
However,  he  soon  selected  a  small  printed  slip  of 
paper,  filled  in  the  blank  spaces  by  writing  the 
date,  the  class  of  goods  and  the  amount  paid,  and 
handed  it  to  me.  The  slip  stated  that  for  the  sum 
of  five  cents  there  was  granted  me  license  for  one 
day  to  sell  granos,  that  is  to  say,  grains.  My  heart 
felt  a  thrill  of  joy;  for  what  could  be  more  signifi- 
cant of  my  real  errand  than  the  word  he  had 
chosen  to  designate  the  articles  I  had  brought  for 
distribution?  '' Behold,  a  sower  went  forth  to 
sow."  My  aim  was  precisely  to  scatter  the  good 
seed  of  the  word,  in  the  hope  that  some  of  it  might 
fall  into  good  ground.  Indeed  it  did ;  for  in  after 
years  men  whom  I  had  come  to  know  declared  that 
they  had  obtained  from  me  there  the  first  copies 
they  had  seen  of  the  Scriptures,  the  reading  of 
which  had  revealed  to  them  the  way  of  life. 

Upon  a  borrowed  table  my  wares  were  displayed 
to  the  view  of  all  who  passed  by ;  and  soon  a  brisk 


136  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

business  was  under  way.  My  method  was  to  read 
aloud  for  a  few  minutes  from  one  of  the  books, 
thus  attracting  a  group  of  hearers,  and  then  to 
offer  for  sale  the  volume  or  tract  containing  the 
narrative  to  which  they  had  just  listened.  No 
sooner  did  I  hold  up,  for  example,  the  Gospel  ac- 
cording to  Luke  from  which  had  been  read 
the  storj^  of  the  birth  of  Jesus,  offering  to  ex- 
change it  for  the  small  sum  of  six  cents,  than  a 
hand  would  be  thrust  out  from  under  the  woolen 
serape  of  one  of  the  bystanders  (it  was  mid- 
winter), to  pass  over  to  me  four  copper  tlacos. 
Others  would  do  the  same.  When  the  stock  of  that 
Gospel  was  running  low,  I  could  read  the  account 
of  the  visit  of  the  Avise  men  from  the  east,  and 
thereb}^  start  a  run  on  the  Gospel  of  Matthew. 

By  the  middle  of  the  second  day  my  entire  stock 
had  been  disposed  of;  and  a  new  supply  was  or- 
dered from  home  by  telegraph.  In  the  meantime 
I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  humble  brethren 
who  had  been  holding  meetings  in  one  of  their 
dwellings  under  the  lead  of  one  of  their  number, 
a  shoemaker,  who  was  better  instructed  than  the 
rest  and  could  teach  them  the  fundamental  truths 
of  the  Christian  faith.  The  patriarch  of  the  group, 
who  thought  his  age  to  be  ninety-five  years,  was 
laid  upon  a  bed  and  had  not  long  to  live.  He  ex- 
pressed deep  sorrow  for  the  sins  committed  in  past 
years,  and  said  that  he  had  put  his  trust  in  Jesus 
as  his  Savior.  Also  he  had  a  great  desire  to  par- 
take of  the  Lord's  Supper  before  passing  out  of 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  137 

this  life.  Of  course  there  was  no  silver  service 
within  reach;  but  we  had  all  the  conveniences 
that  were  possessed  by  most  of  the  Christians  of 
the  first  century,  and  as  we  partook  of  the  simple 
symbols,  we  felt  sure  of  the  presence  of  Him  who 
said:  *'Do  this  in  remembrance  of  Me." 

In  March  were  made  two  trips  to  Aldama,  which 
included  visits  to  ranches  along  the  way.  Again 
were  the  sales  beyond  expectation.  But  there  was 
no  market,  and  I  had  to  carry  the  books  and  tracts 
in  a  bag,  going  from  door  to  door  like  a  common 
vender.  Some  householders  would  not  give  me 
any  chance  to  talk  with  them;  others  were  inter- 
ested, but  generally  had  no  money.  The  best  re- 
sults were  obtained  in  the  corner  grocery  stores ; 
but  the  great  hit  was  made  when  I  walked  through 
a  large  open  door  and  found  myself  in  a  cockpit, 
where  a  company  of  men  were  watching  a  fight 
between  two  roosters.  At  the  first  favorable 
pause  in  the  bloody  diversion  my  bag  was  opened, 
and  the  attention  of  all  was  quickly  drawn  to  the 
novelty  of  a  Gringo  reading  and  offering  for  sale 
religious  publications!  It  was  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon;  and  there  I  stayed  until  the  sun  went 
down,  reading,  talking  and  taking  in  money  from 
those  who  were  interested  to  purchase,  until  most 
of  my  stock  had  been  disposed  of.  When  it  was 
time  for  all  to  go,  the  proprietor  of  the  resort  in- 
timated that  it  would  be  the  fair  thing  for  me  to 
hand  him  a  fee  for  having  had  the  use  of  his 
plaza  de  gallos  for  a  considerable  time,  and  he 


138  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

seemed  satisfied  with  the  gratuity  offered  him.  On 
those  two  trips  were  sold  thirty-two  Bibles,  thirty- 
eight  Testaments  and  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  Gospels,  besides  fifty  volumes  published  by 
the  American  Tract  Society,  and  over  seventeen 
thousand  pages  of  tracts. 

In  April  was  made  another  visit  to  Parral,  with 
stops  on  the  way  in  the  important  towns  of  Ji- 
menez and  Allende.  In  four  and  a  half  days  in  the 
first-named  place  Avere  sold  three  hundred  and 
thirty-one  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  complete  or  in 
portions,  and  fifteen  thousand  pages  of  tracts,  be- 
sides other  books,  and  the  receipts  amounted  to 
one  hundred  dollars.  In  Jimenez  alone  were  sold, 
at  a  tlaco  each,  more  than  one  hundred  copies  of 
a  four  page  tract  entitled  "  Ventajas  Que  Resultan 
de  la  Borrachera,"  (The  Advantages  Resulting 
from  Drunkenness).  The  sarcastic  allusions  to  the 
supposed  advantages  convey  many  a  sly  thrust 
which  makes  its  way  through  the  joints  in  the  de- 
fensive armor  of  the  user  of  intoxicating  liquors. 
Mexicans  even  of  the  peon  class  have  a  lively  sense 
of  humor;  and  whenever  I  read  aloud  portions 
of  that  tract,  I  was  absolutely  certain  in  advance 
of  the  response  it  would  call  forth  from  my 
hearers,  particularly  at  the  suggestion,  "If  you 
want  to  have  your  brain  befuddled  ...  so  that 
you  may  become  as  stupid  as  a  donkey,  get 
drunk."  At  this  point  the  broad  smiles  would 
change  to  hearty  laughter.  In  after  years  an  in- 
telligent man,  who  was  a  sort  of  attorney  repre- 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  139 

senting  clients  in  the  courts  of  law,  and  who  be- 
came a  faithful  member  of  our  congregation  at 
the  capital,  said  that  he  had  purchased  of  me  in 
Jimenez  a  copy  of  the  tract;  and  that  it  led  him- 
self and  several  friends  to  become  teetotalers. 

At  home  during  the  following  week  we  were 
favored  with  calls  from  tourists  who  left  with  us 
donations  for  the  work.  But  the  greatest  encour- 
agement came  from  a  visit  made  by  Rev.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  F.  A.  Noble  of  the  Union  Park  Church  of 
Chicago,  who  made  a  brief  stay  as  our  guests. 
To  Dr.  Noble  was  shown  a  piece  of  ground  on  Inde- 
pendence Avenue  for  which  the  friendly  mayor 
of  the  city  (as  my  confidential  agent),  had  offered 
to  pay  the  owner  $3000,  in  vain;  and  at  once  he 
said:  *'Pay  as  much  as  $5000,  if  necessary  to 
secure  so  fine  a  location  for  the  erection  of  build- 
ings to  serve  the  uses  of  the  mission ;  some  way 
will  be  found  to  raise  the  money."  But  some- 
thing still  better  was  in  store  for  us. 

In  the  autumn,  with  money  donated  by  friends 
in  the  United  States,  I  purchased  a  horse  and  a 
large  spring  cart  for  the  purpose  of  extending  my 
visits  to  points  not  yet  accessible  by  railway.  The 
first  trip  on  two  wheels  was  to  the  mining  town  of 
Cusihuiriachic,  eighty  miles  west,  whicli  then  had 
a  population  of  seven  thousand.  My  companion 
was  a  young  Mexican  who  had  formerly  led  a  wild 
life  and  in  the  course  of  it  had  killed  a  man,  and 
who  was  not  yet  a  Christian.  Our  route  lay 
through  diversified  and  beautiful  scenerj' — long 


140  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

and  wide  stretches  of  grazing  lands,  of  a  vivid 
green  after  the  summer  rains,  rounded  and 
wooded  hills  succeeded  by  mountains — and 
among  these  last  our  road  followed,  now  on  one 
side  and  then  on  the  other,  a  stream  of  clear  water 
flowing  over  a  rocky  bed.  It  was  necessary  to  ford 
that  small  river  thirty-seven  times,  jolting  over 
the  large  stones  which  disputed  the  passage  of  the 
cart ;  but  the  obstacles  were  overcome  without  ac- 
cident and  with  the  springs  intact.  The  miners 
seemed  to  have  money  to  spend  freely ;  and  within 
a  short  time  was  sold  the  entire  stock  of  books  and 
tracts,  leaving  nothing  ^^ith  which  to  interest  the 
people  in  Guerrero,  fifty  miles  beyond,  which  had 
been  our  final  objective. 

In  December,  in  the  same  cart  and  with  the  same 
companion,  I  drove  along  the  line  of  the  old  dili- 
gence road,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  to  Paso 
del  Norte,  to  take  advantage  of  the  assembling 
of  the  crowds  that  came  every  year  to  celebrate 
for  a  week  the  ''Fiesta  de  Nuestra  Senora  la  Vir- 
gen  de  Guadalupe."  But  the  people  were  so  com- 
pletely absorbed  in  the  diversions  offered  them, 
in  the  form  of  tables  for  eatables  and  drinkables, 
licensed  gambling  for  that  week,  and  the  peddling 
of  relics  and  appliances  of  religion,  that  food  for 
the  mind  was  not  in  demand ;  and  consequently  the 
sales  were  disappointingly  small.  However,  the 
missionary  had  learned  a  lesson  that  would  be  of 
service  to  him. 

In  May  of  1885  the  wife  accompanied  me  by 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  141 

railroad  to  Santa  Rosalia  and  Jimenez  for  the 
purpose  of  extending  our  acquaintance  in  those 
towns,  and  considering  the  advisability  of  starting 
regular  gospel  work  in  one  or  both  of  them.  As 
often  occurred,  some  persons  who  were  expected 
to  cooperate  failed  us,  while  others  for  the  first 
time  showed  real  friendliness.  In  Jimenez  on 
Sunday  afternoon  we  passed  along  the  streets 
from  house  to  house,  greeting  in  a  courteous  man- 
ner the  people,  chiefly  Avomen  and  children,  who 
were  grouped  about  the  doorway  or  seated  behind 
the  iron-barred  windows ;  and  when  they  were  will- 
ing to  listen,  reading  to  them  and  singing  gospel 
songs.  In  front  of  one  of  the  humbler  dwellings 
the  curious  continued  to  come  from  both  up  and 
down  the  street,  until  there  were  assembled  about 
fifty  persons  who  listened  attentively  to  every 
word  read  or  spoken  or  sung.  The  only  thing  lack- 
ing to  make  of  that  impromptu  gathering  a  relig- 
ious service,  was  prayer;  but  the  omission  of  the 
last  was  necessary  to  save  us  from  liability  to  ar- 
rest and  the  imposition  of  a  fine  for  an  infraction 
of  the  law  which  forbids  the  holding  of  religious 
meetings  outside  of  buildings — a  prohibition 
which  thus  far  has  prevented  the  Salvation  Army 
from  undertaking  any  work  in  Mexico. 

Soon  was  the  cart  exchanged  for  a  commodious 
beach  wagon,  in  preparation  for  extended  tours 
by  the  country  roads.  The  two  double  seats  and 
top  were  removed  and  a  covered  buggy  seat  put 
in  their  place,  thus  making  room  for  transporting 


142  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

bedding,  provisions,  books  and  changes  of  cloth- 
ing. The  bedding  was  rolled  up  inside  a  shelter 
tent  of  unbleached  muslin,  which  at  night  was 
tied  on  one  side  to  the  tops  of  the  wheels,  and  on 
jthe  other  to  stakes  driven  into  the  ground.  This 
was  occupied  by  us  two,  while  for  the  little  son  a 
bed  was  made  in  the  wagon.  The  horse  was  teth- 
ered to  some  tree  near  by;  or  when  a  tree  was 
lacking,  to  the  vehicle  itself.  Sometimes  when  we 
stopped  for  the  night  in  a  village,  where  it  was  not 
convenient  to  pitch  the  tent,  we  spread  our  bedding 
on  the  ground  under  the  wagon.  Occasionally 
when  it  threatened  to  rain,  we  slept  in  some  large 
store-room  among  sacks  of  corn  and  beans,  and 
then  we  enjoyed  a  more  luxurious  resting-place 
upon  a  heap  of  straw. 

In  this  manner  during  successive  years  we  made 
many  round  trips  of  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to 
three  hundred  miles  each,  covering  a  region  in  the 
western  part  of  the  state  which  extended  out  to 
the  high  sierras  and  measured  from  north  to  south 
between  two  hundred  and  three  hundred  miles. 
Usually  a  trip  was  accomplished  in  ten  or  twelve 
days,  involving  an  absence  from  the  home  base, 
where  we  were  much  needed,  of  only  one  Sunday 
at  a  time.  In  the  heated  term  it  was  often  advis- 
able to  imitate  the  example  of  the  freighters,  and 
get  started  on  the  road  a  good  while  before  sun- 
rise. Like  them  would  we  stop  for  breakfast 
at  the  roadside,  wherever  we  could  get  a  little  fuel 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  143 

for  making  a  fire,  and  preferably  near  a  stream 
of  water. 

But  on  some  of  the  broad  expanses  of  the  plain 
the  precious  liquid  could  not  be  found  for  many 
hours,  and  our  supply  was  limited  to  what  the 
canteen  might  contain.  Sometimes  we  had  to 
share  this  small  store  with  *'Roany,"  this  name 
having  been  given  to  our  faithful  steed  because 
his  color  was  that  of  a  strawberry  roan.  He  was 
so  small  that  in  our  country  he  would  be  called  a 
pony;  but  he  was  very  strong  and  willing,  never 
requiring  a  whip  to  urge  him  on,  and  he  was  kept 
in  good  condition,  so  that  everywhere  he  attracted 
attention  and  an  occasional  offer  by  some  admirer 
to  purchase  him.  In  order  to  save  his  strength  on 
those  long  journeys,  it  was  my  invariable  custom 
to  walk  up  the  hills ;  and  since  our  safety  depended 
in  so  large  a  measure  upon  his  welfare,  at  the  end 
of  each  day  it  was  my  first  care  to  look  after 
his  comfort.  He  was  very  intelligent  and  appre- 
ciative, so  that  we  became  strongly  attached  to 
him.  For  twenty  years  he  was  a  faithful  co- 
laborer;  and  when  the  end  came,  we  mourned  him. 
It  hardly  seemed  possible  that  there  could  not  be 
a  future  life  for  our  dumb  friend;  and  if  there 
be  any  paradise  for  such  as  he,  his  fidelity  will 
have  its  reward. 

Some  of  our  American  friends  thought  it  very 
unsafe  for  us  to  travel  in  this  way,  without  carry- 
ing firearms  for  our  defense  on  the  highway,  ac- 
cording to  the  universal  custom  of  those  days,  and 


144  LIFE   UNDER   TWO  FLAGS 

without  having  even  a  man  servant  for  company. 
Indeed,  one  of  the  Presbyterian  missionaries,  who 
did  a  great  deal  of  touring  in  his  buggy  drawn 
by  a  team  of  horses,  told  me  that  he  always  kept 
a  loaded  rifle  by  his  side,  and  that  he  believed 
it  had  saved  his  life  a  number  of  times  when  some 
rough-looking  man  had  arisen  suddenly  at  the  side 
of  the  road,  but,  seeing  the  gim,  had  slunk  out  of 
sight.  At  length  a  Christian  mining  man,  who 
occasionally  made  a  stop  in  our  city  and  attended 
church  services,  so  urged  the  importance  of  taking 
precautions  against  attack,  at  the  same  time  offer- 
ing to  present  me  with  a  revolver  and  a  belt  of 
cartridges,  if  I  w^ould  promise  to  carry  them  on 
the  next  trip,  that  I  yielded  to  his  importunity. 

Not  long  after  that  promise  was  given,  the  ar- 
ticles were  received  from  a  camp  in  the  Organ 
Mountains  of  New  Mexico,  having  been  brought 
by  the  conductor  of  a  Santa  Fe  train  to  El 
Paso,  and  from  there  by  a  Mexican  Central  con- 
ductor to  Chihuahua.  It  was  a  formidable-looking 
weapon  of  45  caliber,  and  I  felt  unwilling  to  buckle 
it  around  my  waist,  and  begin  the  next  trip  wear- 
ing a  Colt's  revolver.  But  my  promise  had  been 
given  to  the  friend  that  I  would  carry  his  present, 
and  there  was  no  help  for  it.  So  it  was  packed 
with  our  other  belongings  in  the  wagon  box  to 
start  with;  and  it  was  never  taken  out,  but  left 
with  them  to  the  end  of  the  journey. 

That  was  the  last  of  my  carrying  firearms !  In- 
deed, we  were  probably  much  safer  without  such 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  145 

weapons  of  defense.  Far  better  to  submit  to  being 
robbed  of  all  we  had,  than  to  attempt  to  put  up 
a  fight  with  men  who  were  '  *  quick  on  the  trigger. ' ' 
About  that  time  a  Mexican  gentleman  assured  us 
that  we  need  have  no  fear,  because  we  ''knew  how 
to  treat"  his  countrymen,  with  kindness  and  cour- 
tesy. Some  of  the  Americans  who  have  had 
trouble  in  Mexico,  and  rail  against  the 
"Greasers,"  really  would  better  blame  themselves 
for  their  misfortunes.  Our  own  experience  taught 
us  that  to  try  to  follow  the  Golden  Rule  gave  far 
better  results  than  to  be  on  the  lookout  for  fraud 
or  personal  violence ;  for  the  attitude  of  suspicion 
or  dislike  toward  foreigners  is  sure  to  affect 
our  treatment  of  them,  and  breed  a  corresponding 
attitude  of  distrust  on  their  part. 

On  one  of  our  trips  to  Cusihuiriachic,  while  yet 
on  the  outskirts  of  ^he  town  we  learned  that  a 
local  revolution  had  taken  place,  resulting  in  the 
killing  of  the  mayor  by  some  one  of  the  faction 
opposed  to  him ;  and  that  it  would  be  unsafe  to  en- 
ter with  horse  and  wagon.  Consequently  we  ac- 
cepted the  hospitality  of  the  family  of  a  believer 
who  had  a  contract  for  supplying  oak  wood  for  the 
furnaces  of  the  principal  mining  company.  They 
lived  in  a  house  built  of  stone  on  the  edge  of  a 
wide,  grassy  plain,  at  a  distance  of  three 
miles  from  the  center  of  the  town  which  lay  at  the 
bottom  of  a  rapidly  descending  road  through  the 
arroyo.  There  we  remained  for  several  days. 
The  aged  parents  of  the  householder  and  his  two 


146  LIFE   UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

maiden  sisters,  together  with  his  wife  and  three 
children,  composed  the  family.  At  night  all  of 
us  occupied  one  large  room,  making  a  company 
of  twelve,  consisting  of  three  married  couples,  two 
spinsters  and  four  children.  One  day  I  walked 
do\ni  the  long  hill  alone  into  the  town,  but  found 
all  places  of  business  closed,  A\dtli  heavy  shutters 
before  the  w^indows  and  the  streets  almost  de- 
serted, as  if  a  plague  had  fallen  upon  the  inhabi- 
tants. 

One  year  when  the  grazing  lands  had  suffered 
from  a  prolonged  drouth,  and  the  stock  had  to 
travel  many  miles  to  get  water  to  drink,  there  were 
lying  close  to  the  road  scores  of  bloated  carcasses 
of  horses  and  cattle;  and  the  only  way  we  could 
get  past  the  grewsome  sight,  was  by  covering  the 
head  of  Roany  with  a  blanket  and  leading  him, 
thus  blindfolded,  as  far  as  might  be  necessary. 

Many  times  we  encountered  cases  of  sick  people 
whose  friends  thought  we  might  be  able  to  help 
them  by  furnishing  medicine.  How  we  did  wish 
we  were  possessed  of  professional  knowledge  to 
minister  to  such  needs!  Naturally  the  ignorant 
people  took  no  precautions  against  the  spread  of 
infectious  diseases ;  and  we  could  not  always  know 
to  what  perils  of  contagion  we  were  exposing  our- 
selves. In  one  adobe  house  the  wife,  exhausted  by 
many  hours  of  travel  on  the  road,  was  glad  to  rest 
for  some  hours  on  a  bed  that  was  not  very  clean. 
Not  until  after  leaving  it  did  she  learn  that  a 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  147 

woman  had  died  in  that  bed  from  diphtheria  a 
short  time  before. 

Another  time  we  found  refuge  at  midday  from 
a  frightful  windstorm,  and  were  thankful  to  ob- 
tain from  kind  strangers  shelter  and  food.  As 
soon  as  we  came  to  a  halt  in  the  court  the  poor 
horse  lay  down  on  the  bare  ground  just  as  he  was 
with  the  harness  on,  his  strength  almost  gone  from 
pulling  the  wagon  against  the  wind  which  had 
lifted  tiny  pebbles  from  the  road  and  hurled  them 
into  our  faces  with  stinging  impact.  After  we  had 
done  full  justice  to  the  palatable  dishes  that  were 
brought  to  us  in  the  living-room  by  a  young 
woman,  we  found  out  that  in  the  kitchen,  where 
our  food  had  been  prepared,  lay  another  woman 
desperately  ill  with  smallpox.  But  we  were  not 
greatly  disturbed  by  the  occurrence;  for  we  had 
become  used  to  similar  experiences.  The  only 
thing  to  do  was  to  keep  on  with  the  work  that 
fell  to  us,  and  commit  our  way  to  Him  whom  we 
were  trying  to  serve.  He  kept  us  from  the  anxiety 
and  worry  which  are  so  wearing  and  useless. 

A  method  of  work  productive  of  good  results, 
in  that  it  obtained  a  hearing  for  the  gospel  among 
all  classes  of  people,  w^as  the  use  of  the  stereop- 
ticon.  My  stock  of  slides  covered  a  wide  range — 
views  of  notable  places,  buildings  and  personages, 
both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  objects  of  art 
in  painting  and  sculpture,  astronomical  pictures, 
illustrations  of  the  evils  of  intemperance  and  other 


148  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

vices;  but  especially  biblical  scenes  presenting 
both  Old  Testament  and  New  Testament  history. 

In  order  to  launch  successfully  the  new  under- 
taking, my  first  effort  was  to  gain  the  good  will 
of  leaders  in  the  educational  movement.  There- 
fore I  obtained  permission  to  show  a  selected 
number  of  views  in  the  assembly  room  of  the  state 
college  before  a  company  of  teachers  and  other 
influential  men  including  the  head  of  that  institu- 
tion, who  was  also  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction. Afterwards  this  gentleman  gave  me 
letters  of  recommendation  to  those  in  charge  of 
the  common  schools  in  certain  towns,  which 
opened  the  way  beautifully  for  presenting  my  pic- 
tures in  them. 

In  further  preparation  for  the  campaign,  I  had 
printed  a  quantity  of  handbills  which  described 
the  novel  apparatus  to  be  used,  gave  an  alluring 
list  of  some  of  the  pictures  to  be  shown,  and  in- 
dicated the  uniform  price  of  twenty-five  cents  for 
admission.  There  were  two  kinds  of  tickets ;  one 
of  extra  size  and  superior  quality  of  pasteboard 
and  denominated  '* Complimentary,"  which  were 
to  be  distributed  among  the  more  influential  fam- 
ilies, while  the  other  was  of  a  different  color  and 
grade  of  material  for  people  who  paid. 

Almost  invariably  the  pictures  were  shown  in 
one  of  the  school  rooms ;  and  each  evening  a  large 
part  of  the  seats  were  reserved  for  the  pupils 
who,  of  course,  were  admitted  free  of  charge 
under  the  supervision  of  teachers.    In  order  that 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  149 

all  might  have  a  chance,  some  of  the  scholars  were 
told  to  come  on  a  specified  evening,  and  others 
at  different  times.  The  charging  of  an  admission 
fee  served  in  a  measure  to  avert  suspicion,  which 
would  have  arisen  at  once,  if  the  ''show"  had 
been  announced  as  free  to  all ;  and  incidentally  the 
moderate  receipts  were  useful  in  meeting  the 
traveling  expenses. 

In  Santa  Eosalia  the  ''liberal"  mayor  was  so 
pleased  to  have  worth-while  information  given  to 
both  children  and  adults,  that  he  not  only  ordered 
the  teachers  to  arrange  for  their  pupils  to  attend 
as  a  part  of  their  school  work,  but  sent  the  munic- 
ipal band  to  play  on  the  street  in  front  of  the 
school  house  for  an  hour  before  the  exhibition  was 
to  take  place,  to  advertise  it  in  the  Mexican  way. 

In  San  Pablo  it  was  the  wish  of  the  authorities 
to  obtain  for  my  use  the  spacious  court  of  a  cer- 
tain private  residence,  where  traveling  theatrical 
companies  were  wont  to  present  their  dramas; 
but  the  owner  was  out  of  town,  and  we  had  to 
make  the  best  of  a  small  and  ill-ventilated  school 
room  on  a  hot  night.  Because  the  paid  admis- 
sions to  the  entertainment  were  few,  the  village 
president  and  the  priest  expressed  their  disap- 
pointment at  the  small  pecuniary  return,  and  in- 
sisted upon  my  acceptance  of  a  gratuity  of  five 
dollars  as  partial  compensation  for  my  service  to 
the  public. 

At  that  time  the  padre  was  adding  a  tower  to 
his  church.     So  I  offered  to  come  again  at  any 


150  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

time  he  and  tlie  owner  of  the  place  of  assembly 
might  agree  to  name,  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
another  exliibition  for  the  benefit  of  the  building 
fund,  the  sale  of  tickets  to  be  wholly  under  his 
control,  and  nothing  to  be  paid  to  myself  except 
enough  to  meet  the  traveling  expenses  for  the 
round  trip  of  a  hundred  miles.  He  accepted  my 
offer,  and,  after  the  custom  of  the  country,  we 
parted  with  a  close  embrace.  However,  some  time 
later  came  a  courteous  letter  from  the  priest, 
thanking  me  again  for  my  generous  offer  but  de- 
clining it  on  some  convenient  ground.  Doubtless 
he  had  heard  from  the  capital  something  about 
my  official  relation  to  the  missionary  movement 
there.  From  the  language  used  by  me  in  com- 
menting on  the  biblical  scenes,  he  must  have 
known  that  I  was  a  Protestant ;  but  it  was  an  al- 
together different  matter  to  have  personal  deal- 
ings with  the  minister  who  some  time  before  had 
introduced  into  the  state  his  heretical  teachings. 
In  Cusihuiriachic,  owing  to  the  old  feud  between 
two  parties  which  had  resulted  in  the  killing  of 
the  mayor,  the  adherents  of  one  of  them  would 
not  come  to  see  the  pictures  I  was  showing  in  the 
covered  court  of  a  certain  hotel  w^hich  was  often 
rented  for  public  entertainments,  because  it  be- 
longed to  a  prominent  supporter  of  the  other 
party.  Therefore,  in  order  to  reach  the  entire 
community,  it  became  necessary  to  show  the  views 
for  some  additional  evenings  in  a  less  convenient 
locality  which  belonged  to  one  of  the  first-named 


A  TOURING  EVANGELIST  151 

group.  While  we  were  still  giving  exhibitions  in 
the  hotel,  it  was  arranged  to  have  the  jjupils  of 
the  public  school  for  girls  attend  on  a  certain 
evening.  When  they  marched  into  the  place  a 
full  hour  before  the  appointed  time,  I  thought 
there  had  been  an  unfortunate  misunderstanding, 
which  would  result  in  the  children  growing  weary 
and  sleepy  before  we  should  be  halfway  through. 
Not  at  all.  The  teacher  explained  that  her  pupils 
were  so  eager  to  see  what  had  been  promised 
them,  that  they  had  assembled  at  the  school  at  a 
very  early  hour ;  and  it  was  practicably  impossible 
for  her  to  keep  them  in  order  there  for  so  long  a 
period  of  waiting.  Consequently  she  had  brought 
them  over  to  the  hotel  by  way  of  a  partial  con- 
cession to  their  impatience.  There  they  sat  with 
respectful  demeanor,  quietly  gazing  at  the  white 
screen  and  wondering  what  was  going  to  be  done 
when  the  appointed  hour  should  arrive. 

Everywhere  on  each  evening  was  there  a  change 
of  program,  the  miscellaneous  views  being  pre- 
sented first,  not  too  rapidly  but  with  intervals  of 
time  sufficient  to  impart  a  good  deal  of  informa- 
tion concerning  each  one.  Then  were  shown  pic- 
tures illustrative  of  the  Bible.  In  San  Pablo  I 
obtained  the  consent  of  the  padre  himself  to  ex- 
plain some  of  the  biblical  pictures ;  and  these  were 
shown  to  him  in  advance.  But  it  was  a  rather 
lame  performance  on  his  part;  for  he  did  not 
seem  to  be  familiar  with  the  sacred  Scriptures; 
nor  did  he  talk  about  the  pictures  mth  anything 


152  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

of  the  interest,  not  to  say  enthusiasm,  which  is 
essential  to  win  and  hold  the  attention  of  children. 
At  one  of  the  national  assemblies  of  Sunday- 
school  workers  there  was  given  a  sample  exhibi- 
tion of  my  pictures.  At  the  close  the  Rev.  Arcadio 
Morales,  who  for  so  many  years  has  been  the  dean 
of  the  evangelical  ministers  resident  In  Mexico 
City,  and  who  has  done  much  evangelistic  work  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  remarked  to  me: 
"In  these  pictures  you  have  a  wonderful  instru- 
ment for  presenting  the  truths  of  our  religion  to 
the  public,  and  for  making  lasting  impressions 
upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  who  may  see 
and  hear." 


CHAPTER  XI 

GATHERING  A  CHURCH   AT  THE   STATE   CAPITAL 

Starting  with  a  simple  song  service  in  Spanish 
in  the  spring  of  1883,  there  had  been  steady  prog- 
ress made  in  the  Mexican  work.  Not  only  were 
there  attendants  at  the  chapel  in  sufficient  number 
to  organize  a  dignified  church  service  and  a  Bible 
school ;  but  there  were  held  regularly  meetings  in 
private  houses  in  different  sections  of  the  city, 
for  the  benefit  especially  for  such  as  felt  reluctant 
to  show  themselves  at  the  headquarters  of  the 
Protestants.  Very  early  was  established  a  weekly 
meeting  for  women,  under  the  lead  of  the  wife, 
for  prayer  and  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  for 
instruction  in  methods  for  personal  work.  A 
number  of  women  enrolled  themselves  as  ** Will- 
ing Workers,"  and  at  every  meeting  gave  reports 
of  their  visits  and  conversations  and  distribution 
of  religious  literature.  In  some  respects  those 
meetings  were  the  very  heart  of  the  work,  the 
spiritual  dynamo,  generating  power  which  sent  its 
renovating,  beneficent  impulse  in  many  directions. 

By  the  winter  of  1885-6  there  had  been  trans- 
lated into  Spanish  a  constitution,  confession  of 
faith  and  form  for  admission  to  the  church;  and 

153 


154  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

the  believers  had  been  gathered  into  a  class  for 
thorough  instruction  in  matters  pertaining  to  the 
Christian  life.  On  the  24th  of  March,  1886,  was 
organized  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity  con- 
sisting of  twenty  members ;  and  at  the  same  time 
were  named  eight  more  as  candidates  to  be  re- 
ceived later.  The  name  was  chosen  for  the  pur- 
pose of  showing  the  falsity  of  the  calumnies  which 
were  put  in  circulation  bj^  the  priests,  to  the  effect 
that  we  were  ''no  better  than  Jews  or  infidels"; 
that  we  had  an  image  of  Christ  which  in  our  meet- 
ings we  laid  on  the  floor  of  our  chapel  and  then 
marched  around  it  in  procession,  at  intervals  spit- 
ting upon  it  to  show  our  enmity.  With  the  same 
object  in  view,  of  confounding  our  enemies,  the 
Sunday-school  of  the  First  Congregational  Church 
in  Montclair,  New  Jersey,  was  requested  to  fur- 
nish me  a  bookmark  for  the  pulpit  Bible,  that 
would  keep  in  sight  the  symbol  of  our  redemption ; 
and  the  friends  were  so  good  as  to  send  a  double 
mark,  with  a  Greek  cross  hanging  from  one  broad 
ribbon,  and  a  Roman  from  the  other. 

Those  charter  members,  and  others  who  were 
added  in  the  early  years,  were  in  the  main  per- 
sons of  strong  convictions  and  consecrated  pur- 
pose, undismayed  by  petty  persecution  or  by  the 
more  serious  losses  of  friends  and  of  the  means 
of  livelihood  on  account  of  their  religious  belief. 
One  was  the  sister  of  a  prominent  banker.  An- 
other was  cousin  to  the  cura  who  for  more  than 
thirty  years  had  been  in  charge  of  the  church 


GATHERING  A  CHURCH  155 

which  afterward  became  the  cathedral.  The 
cousin  owned  a  tannery  employing  a  number  of 
men.  This  man  and  his  wife  committed  to  mem- 
ory a  large  number  of  the  gospel  hymns  and  de- 
lighted to  sing  them;  and  when  they  built  a  new 
place  of  residence,  they  invited  us  to  hold  there 
a  kind  of  service  of  dedication.  They  were  gen- 
erous givers  to  the  church,  and  were  unfailing 
attendants  upon  its  services;  each  of  them  being 
of  such  large  size  that  we  used  to  say  that  they 
alone  almost  filled  one  of  the  benches.  Still  others 
belonged  to  an  influential  family  whose  head, 
Colonel  Orozco,  had  rendered  important  military 
service  to  the  state,  so  that  after  his  decease  they 
were  in  receipt  of  a  pension  from  the  government. 
Still  another  was  the  son  of  a  priest.  He  had 
been  in  business  partnership  with  an  Englishman 
who  finally  left  him,  because  his  wretched  habit 
of  intemperance  threatened  complete  ruin  to  both. 
He  had  a  charming  wife,  whom  afterward  we  were 
wont  to  refer  to  as  "the  elect  lady,"  and  beauti- 
ful children;  yet  strong  drink  had  made  a  beast 
of  him.  However,  he  became  interested  in  some 
of  our  books  and  papers,  gained  more  knowledge 
of  the  truth  through  conversing  with  believers, 
and  at  length  conquered  his  worst  enemy.  For 
some  time  he  could  not  give  up  his  favorite  di- 
version of  witnessing  bullfights;  but  at  last  he 
made  humble  confession  of  faith  in  Christ,  and 
fully  cast  in  his  lot  with  us.  His  progress  in  the 
new  life  was  rapid.    He  took  a  class  of  boys  in  the 


156  LIFE    UNDER    TWO    FLAGS 

Bible  school,  became  a  member  of  the  standing 
committee,  and  was  elected  treasurer  of  the 
church's  benevolences. 

Before  his  reformation  he  was  a  ruined  man 
financially,  having  nothing  but  a  few  personal 
effects,  and  owing  $3,000  to  his  creditors.  Within 
a  few  years  of  his  conversion  he  had  built  up  a 
new  business,  had  paid  all  his  debts,  and  had  de- 
posited with  me  for  safe  keeping  the  sum  of 
$2,000.  His  bad  habits  had  weakened  his  consti- 
tution, so  that  he  was  unable  to  survive  an  attack 
of  pneumonia.  But  we  never  had  any  doubt  as  to 
the  genuineness  of  the  moral  change;  and  the 
church  deeply  mourned  the  loss  of  one  who,  in  his 
last  hours  when  the  mind  wandered,  called  for  his 
best  clothes  to  be  brought  in  order  that  he  might 
present  himself  in  the  house  of  God.  His  brethren 
were  confident  that  he  had  joined  the  company  of 
them  who  are  arrayed  in  white  raiment.  When 
wife  and  I  read  Harold  Begbie's  ''Twice  Born 
Men,"  we  seemed  to  be  on  quite  familiar  ground; 
for  we  ourselves  had  witnessed  on  the  mission 
field  moral  and  spiritual  transformations  of  char- 
acter no  less  extraordinary  than  those  described 
by  the  English  writer. 

For  a  while  after  beginning  the  work,  in  accor- 
dance with  the  program  usually  followed  in  this 
country,  we  had  worship  with  sermon  both  morn- 
ing and  evening,  and  Sunday-school  at  another 
hour.  But  conditions  pointed  the  way  to  a  better 
plan.    The  people  whom  we  succeeded  in  impress- 


GATHERING  A  CHURCH  157 

ing  with  our  message  were  in  great  need  of  study- 
ing the  book  which  most  of  them  had  never  seen 
until  we  carried  it  to  them.  Furthermore,  we 
could  not  start  a  Sunday-school  for  the  children 
in  the  hope  of  winning  through  them  the  parents ; 
for,  with  few  exceptions,  we  were  unable  to  get 
hold  of  any  children  until  their  parents  had  been 
freed  from  the  bondage  of  prejudice  against  the 
Protestants. 

But  the  parents  or  other  adults  were  not  easily 
persuaded  to  enter  our  place  of  assembly  in  the 
broad  light  of  day.  Such  individuals  were  per- 
haps inclined  to  take  the  first  step  in  our  direction, 
after  hearing  of  us  from  others  or  reading  the  lit- 
erature we  distributed,  by  pausing  under  an  open 
window  or  before  the  door  at  night  within  hear- 
ing distance,  partly  screened  by  the  darkness. 
After  making  approaches  of  that  kind  for  a  while, 
the  investigator  might  step  quietly  inside  and 
slip  into  a  rear  seat.  Many  times  in  after  years 
we  met  persons  who  informed  us  that,  long  before, 
they  had  stopped  outside  in  the  street  to  listen 
to  the  singing  and  the  sermon.  For  the  most  part 
they  were  visitors  to  the  city,  having  come  from 
towns  and  ranches  in  other  parts  of  the  state; 
and  they  took  advantage  of  being  among  stran- 
gers to  satisfy  their  curiosity  concerning  the  pe- 
culiar ways  and  teachings  of  the  sect  which  the 
priests  denounced  in  such  emphatic  terms.  It  was 
a  novel  sensation  we  experienced,  finding  our- 
selves put  in  the  same  class  with  questionable 


158  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

characters  or  diversions  of  ill  repute,  to  be  inves- 
tigated by  people  ^vho  did  not  wish  to  be  seen 
doing  it! 

We  adopted  the  plan  of  having  in  the  morning 
a  Bible  school  for  the  whole  congregation,  and  in 
the  evening  an  evangelistic  service  with  sermon. 
The  afternoons  were  utilized  in  various  ways,  the 
main  feature  during  many  years  being  the  Eng- 
lish service.  At  the  same  time  for  the  Mexicans 
was  held  a  meeting  in  some  hall  in  another  part 
of  the  city,  or  there  were  assemblies  in  private 
houses  when  these  were  placed  at  our  disposal. 
After  societies  of  Christian  Endeavor  had  been 
organized,  there  were  meetings  for  them  also.  So 
it  came  about  that  for  a  considerable  time  the 
wife  was  accustomed  to  play  on  the  reed  organ 
accompaniments  for  five  or  six  different  meetings 
on  Sunday,  besides  what  she  did  in  religious  work 
during  the  week.  For  myself,  during  a  period  of 
twenty  years,  before  competent  native  preachers 
had  been  educated  for  the  task,  it  was  necessary 
to  superintend  the  Bible  school,  and  teach  a  class 
of  men  in  the  morning,  preach  in  English  in  the 
afternoon,  and  do  pulpit  work  in  Spanish  at  night. 

Three  times  during  the  first  ten  years  were  the 
congregations  obliged  to  change  their  place  of 
meeting,  as  they  increased  in  numbers ;  first  from 
the  sala  of  our  residence  to  a  commodious  hall 
which  belonged  to  the  governor  of  the  state,  next 
to  the  enlarged  assembly  room  of  the  mission  com- 
pound, afterward  given  to  the  Colegio  Chihuor- 


GATHERING  A  CHURCH  159 

huense,   and  finally  to   the   splendid  edifice   de- 
scribed in  another  chapter. 

From  the  first  our  Mexican  brethren  were  en- 
couraged to  contribute  not  only  toward  meeting 
the  current  expenses  but  also  for  accumulating  a 
building  fund.    On  one  occasion,  when  I  was  preach- 
ing on  the  '  *  Duty  and  Privilege  of  Christian  Giv- 
ing," an  elderly  woman  left  her  seat,  walked  to 
the  front  and  laid  on  the  pulpit  a  silver  dollar. 
The  preacher  had  not  anticipated  so  prompt  a 
response,  which  helped  him  to  realize  that  the 
hearts  of  men  and  women  in  other  lands  are  as 
sensitive  to  sincere  appeal  as  are  those  of  the 
people  among  whom  we  have  been  brought  up; 
and  that  they  can  be  persuaded  to  do  their  full 
share  in  sustaining  Christian  institutions,  when 
they  possess  a  genuine  love  for  Christ  and  His 
Gospel.     That    woman    of    humble    station   had 
earned  the  dollar  by  washing  clothes  in  the  river, 
to  which  she  had  to  carry  also  the  few  sticks  of 
wood  required  for  making  a  fire  under  the  kettle, 
and  then  do  the  ironing  at  home.    Her  two  sons 
were   shoemakers   who    supplied    their   widowed 
mother's  simple  wants,  and  they  were  unwilling 
to  have  her  toil  so  for  other  people.     But  she 
wanted  to  have  money  to  give  to  her  Lord's  work, 
and  she  pursued  the  only  method  for  earning  it 
which  was  open  to  her.    Later  she  purchased  a 
large-print  Bible  and  learned  to  read,  in  order 
that  she  by  herself  might  explore  the  rich  mines 
of  truth  in  that  book  of  books.     Althougli  the 


160  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

volume  weighed  six  pounds,  she  always  carried 
it  to  the  Bible  school.  One  day  as  she  was  passing 
along  the  street  she  was  stoned  by  cowardly  boys 
who  had  been  taught  to  despise  the  Protestants, 
and  she  reached  the  church  with  blood  flowing 
from  a  scalp  w^ound.  The  attack  resulted  in  her 
being  confined  to  her  bed  for  some  time;  but  she 
rallied  from  the  shock  and  was  spared  for  many 
years  to  bear  witness  to  her  faith  by  her  joy  in 
Christian  service. 

There  might  be  cited  many  similar  instances  of 
fidelity  to  the  new  cause  which  had  been  espoused, 
in  spite  of  pecuniary  losses  and  sufferings  both 
physical  and  mental  which   resulted   from  that 
loyalty.    In  our  experience  there  did  not  occur  a 
single  case  of  a  convert's  recanting  during  the 
last  sickness  and  sending  for  a  priest  in  order  to 
confess  to  him  and  die  in  the  communion  of  the 
Roman   Catholic   Church.     On   the  contrary,   in 
some  instances  the  sick  one  took  special  precau- 
tions against  being  overcome  in  an  hour  of  weak- 
ness by  the  pleadings  of  zealous  friends  and  ad- 
herents of  the  old  order.    For  example,  there  was 
a  w^oman  in  our  congregation  who  had  a  wide 
acquaintance  among  families  of  high  social  stand- 
ing and,  as  she  was  alone  in  the  w^orld,  she  lived 
with  one  of  them.    She  wore  a  mantilla  of  black 
lace,  and  by  her  conversation  as  well  as  by  her 
dress  and  manners  showed  that  she  was  a  perfect 
lady.     When   she    fell    seriously    ill   with   what 
proved  to  be  her  last  sickness,  she  feared  what 


GATHERING  A  CHURCH  161 

might  happen  if  she  remained  in  a  house  to  which 
the  priests  had  ready  access.  So  there  was  rented 
a  room  in  another  part  of  the  city,  to  which  she 
might  be  carried  and  there  be  waited  upon  by  fel- 
low members  of  her  church,  and  be  allowed  to  die 
in  peace ;  and  in  that  isolated  retreat  she  breathed 
her  last,  trusting  in  her  Savior. 


CHAPTER  Xn 


PROMOTING   EDUCATION 


On  the  twentieth  of  May,  1885,  was  opened  our 
first  elementary  school  in  the  sala  of  a  private 
residence  belonging  to  an  excellent  Mexican  family 
of  our  congregation,  mentioned  in  a  previous 
chapter  as  receiving  a  pension  from  the  govern- 
ment on  account  of  services  rendered  to  the  public 
by  the  deceased  head  of  the  household.  A  daugh- 
ter of  the  family  ^vas  engaged  as  teacher,  and  she 
began  with  an  enrollment  of  seven  children,  be- 
sides several  older  i)upils  who  came  to  take  music 
lessons  of  Mrs.  Eaton.  Thus  was  planted  the 
seed  which  in  process  of  time  produced  the  vigor- 
ous tree  that  came  to  be  known  as  the  "Colegio 
CMhuahuense,"  which  was  a  boarding  and  day 
school  for  girls,  with  a  kindergarten  and  a  pri- 
mary department  for  both  sexes.  But  what  gave 
special  character  and  standing  to  the  school  was 
its  normal  department,  from  which  graduated 
teachers  who  took  high  rank  in  both  public  and 
private  schools. 

On  the  tenth  of  October  was  purchased  the  old 
Zaragoza  Theater,  which  had  been  used  for  many 
years  as  the  principal  plaza  de  gallos  (cockpit), 

162 


PROMOTING  EDUCATION  163 

in  connection  with  billiard  hall,  drinking  saloon 
and  rooms  for  card  players.  There  was  also  a 
residence  at  the  rear.  The  entire  property  meas- 
ured eighty  feet  by  one  hundred  and  fifty,  run- 
ning through  the  small  block  and  having  two 
fronts,  one  of  which  was  for  the  theater  and  the 
other  for  the  dwelling.  It  could  be  fitted  up  to 
accommodate  at  the  beginning  both  the  school  and 
a  missionary  family.  But  the  tenant  was  unwill- 
ing to  vacate  the  premises,  and  he  engaged  the 
best  legal  talent  to  support  his  contention  that 
the  purchaser  had  no  right  to  eject  him.  The 
only  practicable  solution  of  the  difficulty  was  for 
me  to  give  him  a  lease  for  six  months.  There- 
after with  great  punctuality  he  paid  the  rent 
agreed  upon,  and  this  was  credited  to  the  account 
of  the  American  Board;  so  that  the  treasury  of 
that  great  missionary  organization  received 
money  from  the  income  of  the  cockpit  and  its 
drinking  and  gambling  appendages.  Was  that 
*' tainted  money"?  It  gave  me  a  queer  sensation 
to  occupy  for  a  brief  period  the  position  of  land- 
lord of  so  disreputable  a  place.  But  that  was  in 
law  the  fact;  because  at  that  time,  and  for  many 
succeeding  years,  the  properties  of  the  Board 
were  held  in  my  individual  name.  During  that 
period  we  were  favored  with  a  visit  from  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Charles  H.  Richards,  who  was  then  pas- 
tor of  the  Central  Church  in  Philadelphia.  When 
he  was  taken  to  inspect  the  newly  acquired  real 
estate,  which  was  to  be  transformed  into  a  mission 


164  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

compound,  there  was  a  cockfight  in  progress.  A 
few  years  after  that,  when  Dr.  Richards  invited 
me  to  tell  his  people  about  the  work  in  Mexico,  I 
revealed  to  them  the  fact  that  their  beloved  pas- 
tor had  attended  a  cockfight  when  he  was  away 
from  home! 

In  May  the  school  was  transferred  to  the  new 
locality  and  put  in  charge  of  the  first  missionary 
teacher,  a  lady  from  Connecticut,  and  was  given 
the  name  already  mentioned.  Three  years  later 
was  added  the  boarding  department;  but  because 
the  teacher  who  was  then  in  charge  did  not  feel 
equal  to  carrying  the  new  responsibility,  Mrs. 
Eaton  volunteered  to  organize  and  carry  on  for 
a  limited  time  that  branch  of  the  educational  work, 
in  addition  to  all  that  she  was  doing  for  the  two 
congregations,  Spanish  and  English.  Conse- 
quently we  left  the  residence  which  a  Mexican 
gentleman  had  built  for  our  use  in  a  corner  of  his 
garden  of  trees  and  flowers,  and  moved  into  the 
school  premises,  expecting  to  be  released  and  re- 
turn to  our  new  home  within  six  months.  But  we 
remained  with  the  school  for  seven  years,  and  did 
not  have  the  opportunity  of  again  living  in  that 
house  with  a  garden. 

Another  teacher  came  from  our  former  congre- 
gation in  New  Jersey.  An  associate  was  secured 
from  Hartford,  Connecticut.  She  arrived  on  the 
day  which  had  been  designated  for  the  inaugura- 
tion of  a  new  State  House  which  had  been  in 
process  of  building  for  ten  years.    The  mission- 


PROMOTING   EDUCATION  165 

ary  family  had  received  an  elegantly  printed  in- 
vitation to  attend  the  function ;  and  of  course  the 
new  recruit  was  invited  to  accompany  us.  After 
the  formal  program  was  finished,  the  evening  was 
devoted  to  an  inaugural  ball.  The  stone  pave- 
ment of  the  great  inner  court  had  been  covered 
with  canvas;  and  overhead,  level  with  the  roof 
of  the  building  of  two  lofty  stories,  was  stretched 
another  canvas,  thus  converting  the  entire  patio 
into  an  immense  hall  of  assembly  which  was  util- 
ized for  the  purposes  of  the  inauguration.  This 
same  hall  then  became  a  dancing  pavilion.  As- 
cending to  the  corridors  of  the  second  story,  we 
tarried  for  a  while  to  look  down  upon  the  gay 
scene.  It  was  a  novelty  to  see  hundreds  of  Mex- 
ican gentlemen  in  evening  dress ;  while  the  toilets 
of  the  ladies,  presenting  a  great  variety  of  colors, 
made  the  groups  below  resemble  a  garden  ^vith 
beds  of  flowers.  What  kind  of  an  impression 
would  have  been  made  by  an  announcement  in  the 
next  number  of  ''Life  and  Light"  that  their  re- 
cently commissioned  missionary  had  spent  her 
first  evening  on  the  foreign  field  in  attendance 
upon  a  ball? 

But  very  significant  and  gratifying  to  us  was 
that  change  in  public  sentiment,  from  one  of 
aversion  and  fear,  caused  by  religious  prejudice, 
to  one  of  real  friendliness  which  led  the  authori- 
ties to  feel  justified  in  including  us  among  those 
who  were  to  receive  an  official  invitation.  Even 
years  before  this  event,  some  liberally  inclined 


166  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

students  of  the  State  College  had  invited  us  to 
attend  the  graduation  of  their  class,  and  ventured 
to  ask  Mrs.  Eaton  for  the  loan  of  her  piano  to  be 
used  in  the  musical  part  of  the  program.  And 
at  another  time  the  principal  requested  me  to 
serve  as  examiner  of  the  classes  in  English  at  the 
close  of  the  year,  marking  their  standing  in  that 
branch  of  study  for  the  official  record.  Usually 
also  I  attended  the  annual  celebration  of  Mexican 
Independence,  on  the  Sixteenth  of  September,  in 
company  with  a  few  other  Americans  and  repre- 
sentatives of  other  nationalities,  such  as  the  Brit- 
ish, French,  Spanish  and  German.  We  went  first 
to  the  governor's  reception  room  to  meet  that 
official,  and  then  walked  with  him  in  procession  to 
the  place  appointed  for  the  public  speaking.  This 
helped  to  promote  relations  of  comity  between  the 
sister  republics,  and  at  the  same  time  tended  to 
show  that  the  religious  convictions  of  the  Protes- 
tants in  no  way  interfered  with  their  sincere  re- 
spect for  the  civil  authorities  and  their  wish  to 
cooperate  heartily  with  them  in  their  efforts  to 
administer  the  government  so  as  to  maintain  lib- 
erty under  law  and  thus  further  the  public  wel- 
fare. 

Soon  after  the  school  had  been  domiciled  in  the 
reformed  Zaragoza  Theater,  we  began  to  hold  the 
religious  services  in  its  main  assembly  room. 
Just  across  the  street,  and  almost  fronting  the 
entrance,  was  a  notorious  house  kept  by  Ameri- 
can women.    The  sounds  of  revelry  which  in  the 


PROMOTING  EDUCATION  1G7 

early  evening  issued  through  its  open  windows 
were  extremely  disturbing  to  our  worshiping  con- 
gregation; so  that  even  on  the  hottest  nights  of 
summer  we  were  obliged  to  close  our  own  windows 
on  that  side,  to  secure  partial  protection  against 
the  annoyance.  We  learned  that  there  existed  a 
city  ordinance  forbidding  the  establishment  of 
such  resorts  within  a  certain  distance  of  any 
school.  Therefore,  we  respectfully  requested  the 
mayor  of  that  day  to  enforce  the  ordinance,  tak- 
ing what  steps  might  be  necessary  for  abating  the 
nuisance  and  grave  menace  to  good  morals.  But 
his  contention  was  that  the  resort  had  been  estab- 
lished there  before  our  school  was  opened. 

The  next  step  was  to  ask  the  governor  who  was 
holding  office  then,  to  use  his  influence  with  the 
mayor  in  our  behalf;  all  in  vain.  Then  was  it 
determined,  since  we  could  not  obtain  justice,  to 
plead  for  mercy.  After  consultation  wnth  a  Mex- 
ican gentleman,  there  was  drawn  up  a  petition  to 
that  end;  and  I  started  out  to  obtain  the  signa- 
tures of  the  most  prominent  citizens  and  selected 
persons  of  the  foreign  colonies,  but  especially  the 
former.  Among  those  secured  in  the  course  of  a 
few  days  were  the  names  of  attorneys,  physicians, 
merchants,  bankers,  teachers  and  other  classes  in 
society.  Even  the  highest  dignitary  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  was  approached.  He  received 
me  in  his  study,  surrounded  by  his  books;  and 
when  he  had  heard  my  story,  without  a  word  of 
objection  he  reached  for  a  pen  and  appended  his 


168  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

signature.  A  judge  of  the  federal  district  was 
visited  at  his  place  of  residence,  readily  signed 
the  petition,  and  then  summoned  his  wife  to  add 
her  own  name.  Two  other  Mexican  ladies,  admit- 
ting me  to  their  house  for  the  first  time,  thanked 
me  heartily  for  giving  them  a  chance  to  sign  such 
a  document.  When  a  leading  banker  who  was  ac- 
quainted with  all  persons  of  influence  in  that  cap- 
ital city,  and  who  at  the  outset  had  given  me  his 
signature,  was  shown  my  list  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  signatories,  he  said  there  was  no  need 
of  trying  to  add  any  more  to  the  imposing  array; 
for  if  the  governor  would  not  grant  their  petition, 
he  could  not  be  persuaded  by  a  larger  number. 

Another  Mexican  banker  accompanied  by  the 
American  Consul,  both  of  them  Eoman  Catholics 
in  name,  offered  to  carry  the  petition  to  the  gov- 
ernor. They  reported  that  he  had  received  it  and 
promised  to  give  it  his  attention.  But  the  days 
passed,  no  reply  of  any  sort  was  made,  and  in  the 
end  the  official  did  nothing.  He  dared  not  grant 
the  request,  because  to  do  so  would  displease  his 
friend  the  mayor ;  nor  did  he  venture  to  refuse  the 
reasonable  petition  of  so  many  influential  people ; 
therefore  he  simply  pigeonholed  the  document. 
However,  within  a  few  months  this  man  and  the 
mayor  retired  from  office,  the  latter  being  suc- 
ceeded by  one  of  the  petitioners,  who  in  fact  had 
sold  to  me  the  old  theater ;  and  one  of  his  earliest 
official  acts  was  to  order  the  abatement  of  that 
public  nuisance.    The  failure  of  his  predecessor 


PROMOTING  EDUCATION  169 

to  enforce  for  our  protection  the  municipal  ordi- 
nance was  really  a  blessing  in  disguise ;  for  it  dis- 
closed a  kindly  feeling  for  us  that  was  widespread, 
and  brought  us  into  relations  with  some  persons 
whom  we  had  scarcely  known  before. 

When  the  governor  whom  we  Americans 
cheered  at  our  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July 
was  requested  by  the  Spanish  consul,  whose  wife 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Mexican  family  of  the  high- 
est social  rank,  to  recommend  a  young  woman  for 
the  place  of  governess  in  his  own  family,  the 
choice  of  the  former  fell  upon  one  of  our  gradu- 
ates who  was  teaching  in  a  government  school. 
But  she  declined  the  offered  position  with  thanks, 
explaining  that  she  enjoyed  her  present  work,  and 
that  she  did  not  care  to  face  the  uncertainty  of 
being  able  to  satisfy  those  who  would  employ  her 
in  an  unaccustomed  task.  The  governor  then 
begged  her  to  accept,  as  a  personal  favor  to  him- 
self, assuring  her  that  in  case  she  were  not  re- 
tained as  governess,  he  would  see  to  her  reinstate- 
ment in  the  public  schools.  She  yielded  to  his 
plea,  and  was  highly  successful  in  the  new  task. 

At  the  close  of  her  first  year  she  held  an  exami- 
nation of  the  little  pupils  in  their  home,  to  which 
were  invited  not  only  the  Roman  Catholic  rela- 
tives of  the  family,  but  also  her  beloved  principal 
and  an  associated  missionary  teacher  of  our 
school.  At  the  close  of  the  function  our  ladies 
were  returned  to  the  school  in  the  closed  carriage 
of  a  banker  brother-in-law  of  the  consul.    Yet  a 


170  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

young  American  woman  who  had  preceded  our 
graduate  in  the  position  of  governess  and  who 
sometimes  attended  our  church  services  in  Eng- 
lish, was  forbidden  by  the  consul's  wife  even  to 
speak  to  Mrs.  Eaton  on  the  street,  if  she  happened 
to  have  with  her  at  the  time  the  children  of  that 
family.  But  the  new  governess,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  our  Mexican  church,  actually  called  at  our 
residence,  bringing  with  her  the  same  children, 
for  the  purpose  of  inviting  my  wife  to  attend  the 
examination.  What  a  wonderful  transformation 
in  the  attitude  of  that  household  toward  the  indi- 
viduals who  were  regarded  as  in  a  sense  official 
representatives  of  Protestantism! 

The  graduation  exercises  of  the  successive 
classes  of  the  Colegio  Chihuahuense  were  held  in 
the  spacious  church  edifice,  and  were  largely  at- 
tended by  persons  not  connected  with  our  con- 
gregation. The  Mexican's  passion  for  music  was 
gratified  by  engaging  a  small  orchestra  to  play 
compositions  of  the  best  class,  in  addition  to  the 
songs  given  by  the  school;  and  usually  some 
prominent  man  was  secured  to  make  an  address. 
One  year  the  speaker  was  the  principal  of  the 
largest  private  school  for  boys;  another  time  it 
was  a  leading  physician. 

There  were  several  village  schools  aided  by  the 
mission  in  distant  parts  of  the  state,  which  served 
as  feeders  to  the  boarding  department ;  and  grad- 
uates who  became  wives  and  mothers,  in  after 
years  sent  their  children  to  have  a  share  in  the 


PROMOTING  EDUCATION  171 

privileges  which  they  themselves  had  enjoyed. 
Educational  influences  of  another  sort  were  also 
set  in  motion.  Even  before  the  beginning  of  the 
school,  there  was  organized  by  my  wife  in  behalf 
of  the  women  a  society  for  making  over  old  gar- 
ments, and  offering  them  for  sale  together  with 
used  clothing  which  had  been  donated  by  friends 
in  United  States,  on  which  occasions  preference 
would  be  shown  to  those  who  belonged  to  the  so- 
ciety, in  order  that  they  might  have  the  chance  to 
purchase  what  was  desired  before  the  public 
should  be  admitted.  In  this  way  they  learned 
needed  lessons  in  thrift  and  economy,  and  were 
able  from  the  receipts  of  their  treasury  to  aid  in 
sustaining  the  church  to  which  they  owed  so  much. 
Furthermore,  both  church  and  school  were  in 
fact,  though  not  in  name,  organizations  for  pro- 
moting education  in  the  matter  of  abstaining  from 
the  use  of  intoxicating  drinks.  When  the  Woman's 
Christian  Temperance  Union  sent  Mrs.  Addie  N. 
Fields  to  Mexico  to  organize  branch  societies,  it  did 
not  seem  worth  while  to  install  extra  machinery 
under  that  name,  when  we  were  already  engaged 
in  propagating  the  same  principles.  At  one  time 
we  persuaded  an  excellent  Mexican  physician  to 
address  a  large  assembly  in  our  church  concerning 
the  evils  caused  by  drinking  wines  and  liquors, 
from  his  professional  standpoint.  On  aiiotlier 
occasion  I  got  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the  daily 
newspaper  of  largest  circulation  in  the  city,  who 
was  an  advocate  of  temperance,  to  prepare  for  us 


172  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

an  address  on  the  same  general  subject.  As  the 
time  announced  for  the  special  assemblage  drew 
near,  inquiry  was  made  as  to  his  readiness  for 
delivering  the  address.  At  once  he  brought  to  me 
the  completed  manuscript,  but  could  not  be  in- 
duced to  read  it  himself  in  church,  making  the  plea 
that  he  did  not  possess  a  voice  for  public  speak- 
ing. While  this  was  disappointing,  it  did  not  al- 
together surprise  me,  because  he  was  a  faithful 
Roman  Catholic  and  a  close  friend  of  the  bishop 
of  that  diocese.  However,  he  did  publish  the  ad- 
dress in  full  in  his  paper  the  day  after  our  meet- 
ing, acknowledging  its  authorship,  and  stating 
that  it  had  been  read  the  evening  before  in  Trinity 
Church  by  Don  Santiago  D.  Eaton. 

One  year  a  botanist,  who  had  been  devoting 
years  to  the  collecting  of  specimens  of  the  flora 
of  Mexico  and  preparing  them  for  the  museums 
of  universities  in  this  countrj^  and  in  Europe,  sug- 
gested to  me  that  it  would  be  desirable  to  obtain 
for  the  college  of  the  state  as  complete  a  collec- 
tion as  possible  of  the  plants  growing  within  its 
borders.  It  was  not  practicable  to  get  an  appro- 
priation to  cover  the  expense,  because  the  legis- 
lature was  not  in  session.  But  my  good  friend 
the  banker,  who  had  given  such  valuable  help  in 
the  matter  of  the  petition  to  have  a  certain  nui- 
sance abated,  and  in  later  years  was  to  aid  us  in 
yet  more  important  ways,  guaranteed  that  the 
cost  should  be  met.  At  the  close  of  the  season 
he  decided  to  pay  the  bill  himself.    Then  was  he 


PROMOTING  EDUCATION  173 

asked  to  allow  his  name  to  appear  on  the  mounted 
specimens.  To  this  he  made  strenuous  objection 
at  first,  but  yielded  to  my  plea  that  it  was  impor- 
tant to  accustom  his  countrymen  to  the  idea  of 
devoting  some  portion  of  their  wealth  to  the  edu- 
cation of  the  public,  not  leaving  all  of  the  task  to 
be  done  by  means  of  taxation.  Consequently  each 
one  of  the  beautifully  mounted  specimens  which 
filled  the  drawers  of  a  large  wooden  case  bore  a 
label  on  which  was  printed  not  only  the  botanical 
name  and  the  habitat  of  the  plant,  but  also  a  line 
saying  (in  Spanish),  ''The  Gift  of ." 

When  President  Diaz  called  upon  all  the  states 
of  the  Kepublic  to  make  contributions  toward  a 
Mexican  exhibit  for  the  Exposition  in  Paris,  that 
botanical  collection  was  lent  for  the  purpose,  as 
being  one  of  the  best  things  our  state  could  fur- 
nish. But  when  the  articles  were  returned  from 
Paris  to  the  Federal  Government,  the  superb  col- 
lection was  kept  in  Mexico  City,  very  likely  be- 
cause the  authorities  felt  it  was  too  valuable  to 
be  hidden  away  in  a  college  located  in  a  border 
state. 

In  the  year  1909  was  obtained  permission  from 
the  American  Board  to  sell  the  old  property  down 
town,  and  use  the  proceeds,  with  the  addition  of 
donations  it  w^as  hoped  to  secure  from  friends,  to 
cover  the  cost  of  an  enlarged  campus  and  a  new 
building.  But  it  seemed  inadvisable  to  sell  the 
old  plant  before  securing  a  new  site,  lest  the 
school  be  left  ''in  the  air"  as  the  Spanish  phrase 


174  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

has  it;  i.e.,  without  a  home  in  which  to  continue 
its  work.  Soon  there  presented  itself,  in  a  sur- 
prising way,  an  opportunity  to  purchase  from  a 
highly  connected  family  which  had  lost  its  head 
through  death,  two-thirds  of  a  block  situated  on 
high  ground  near  the  State  Industrial  School 
(separated  from  the  latter  by  a  street  one  hun- 
dred feet  in  width) ;  and  this  was  secured  by  loans 
from  friends.  The  revolution  against  President 
Diaz  prevented  disposal  of  the  old  property  to 
advantage,  but  this  was  just  as  well;  because 
when  there  occurred  an  exchange  of  certain  fields 
of  labor  between  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  the 
American  Board,  involving  the  transfer  of  all  our 
interests  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua  to  the  former, 
the  old  plant  was  remodeled  and  repaired  to  make 
it  suitable  for  a  Christian  Social  Center.  The 
building  which  was  erected  on  the  new  campus  in 
the  year  1915,  is  now  occupied  by  a  school  for 
boys ;  while  girls  are  cared  for  in  the  long-estab- 
lished Methodist  school.  Their  chapel  has  been 
converted  into  a  gjTunasium;  and  the  evangelical 
Christians  of  both  missions  now  are  one  body 
meeting  for  worship  in  the  capacious  and  cen- 
trally located  Trinity  Church. 

Our  Methodist  brethren  are  maintaining  a  force 
of  a  dozen  or  more  workers  in  that  city,  having 
added  to  the  church  and  schools  and  social  center, 
a  hospital,  and  a  printing  plant  from  which  issues 
their  own  periodical.     In  view  of  this  generous 


PROMOTING   EDUCATION  175 

provision  for  meeting  the  religious,  educational 
and  social  needs  of  the  people  of  that  region,  we, 
who  could  not  help  feeling  keenly  the  sundering 
of  the  old  ties  which  had  been  forming  through 
the  more  than  thirty  years  of  residence  and  of 
labor  for  both  citizens  and  foreigners  in  that 
state,  are  now  able  to  say,  in  the  manner  of  those 
who  are  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Free  Methodists 
in  Southern  California,  '^ Praise  the  Lord."  For 
we  have  been  made  to  realize  anew  the  truth  of 
what  Saint  Paul  wrote:  ''I  have  planted,  Apollos 
watered;  but  God  gave  the  increase."  As  was 
said  by  the  Master  himself,  ''He  that  soweth  and 
he  that  reapeth  may  rejoice  together." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A  BOOK  BUSINESS  AND  BELATED  ACTIVITIES 

For  the  first  two  years  of  our  residence  in 
Mexico,  before  the  completion  of  the  Mexican 
Central  Railway  to  the  capital,  it  was  convenient 
to  obtain  our  supplies  of  the  Scriptures  directly 
from  the  American  Bible  Society  in  New  York; 
and  soon  we  had  acquired  by  purchase  a  consid- 
erable stock  of  their  publications  in  Spanish,  and 
a  limited  variety  of  volumes  in  English  to  meet 
the  needs  of  our  own  countrjonen.  Also  were  the 
resources  of  the  American  Tract  Society  drawn 
upon ;  and  as  the  work  developed,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  order  books,  in  both  Spanish  and  English, 
which  were  published  by  various  firms,  especially 
D.  Appleton  and  Company  and  the  American 
Book  Company,  until  the  stock  on  hand  filled  sev- 
eral large  bookcases. 

While  at  the  beginning  our  orders  were  sent 
through  the  American  Board,  for  the  purpose  of 
securing  the  lowest  wholesale  rates  from  the  re- 
spective publishers,  as  the  sales  increased  the 
firms  consented  to  allow  me  the  largest  discounts 
for  export  which  were  granted  to  anybody;  and 

176 


A  BOOK  BUSINESS  177 

open  accounts  were  carried  with  the  houses  men- 
tioned, payments  being  made  monthly.  In  order 
to  save  time,  to  obviate  trouble  and  expense  at 
the  border  custom-house,  and  to  avoid  the  incon- 
venience of  keeping  on  hand  a  large  stock  of  pub- 
lications, it  was  found  expedient  to  have  all  books 
sent  by  mail. 

Among  our  best  customers  were  the  teachers 
and  pupils  of  private  schools;  and  many  indi- 
viduals were  glad  of  the  chance  to  obtain  through 
my  instrumentality,  and  within  a  very  short  time, 
volumes  which  were  not  to  be  had  in  the  few  and 
small  bookstores  of  the  city.  Some  of  the  public 
schools  also  drew  upon  our  resources  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent.  In  one  instance  the  administration 
of  public  instruction  suggested  that  a  bid  be  made 
by  me,  in  common  with  other  dealers,  on  a  lot  of 
eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  copies  of  a  certain 
text-book  published  by  the  Appletons.  Accord- 
ingly there  was  sent  in  an  estimate  which  would 
yield  a  small  profit;  and,  greatly  to  my  surprise, 
my  bid  was  accepted.  There  was  a  steady  demand 
for  ** methods"  for  learning  both  English  and 
Spanish,  for  dictionaries  in  both  languages  and, 
on  the  part  of  private  schools,  for  English  read- 
ers. The  local  booksellers  soon  found  out  that 
they  could  purchase  of  me  all  such  books  at  a 
price  about  equal  to  what  it  would  cost  them  to 
import  the  same;  and  all  they  had  to  do  was  to 
dispatch  a  messenger  to  my  house  for  a  few  copies 
at  a  time.     The  special  rate  allowed  them  still 


178  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

left  a  margin  of  eight  to  ten  per  cent  to  aid  the 
mission  work. 

But  the  principal  advantage  resulting  from  this 
little  business  was  the  opportunity  it  afforded  for 
extending  acquaintance  and  gaining  friends  for 
our  work.  It  also  served  to  do  away  with  much 
of  the  foolish  prejudice  against  us.  The  prin- 
cipal of  one  of  the  private  schools,  who  in  his  re- 
ligious opinions  was  a  decided  liberal,  told  me 
that  some  of  his  pupils  objected  to  buying  their 
text-books  of  the  missionary,  but  that  he  insisted 
upon  their  going  in  person  to  make  the  purchase, 
rather  than  avail  themselves  of  the  agency  of  a 
good-natured  schoolmate,  for  the  express  purpose 
of  bringing  about  a  change  in  their  silly  attitude 
of  aversion. 

To  the  book  business  was  added  a  special  de- 
partment for  a  period  of  eight  years,  during 
which  time  I  was  publication  agent  for  the  Na- 
tional Christian  Endeavor  Union;  and  there  w^as 
kept  on  hand  a  supply  of  all  the  material  pro- 
vided in  the  Spanish  language  for  this  movement, 
such  as  the  different  model  constitutions,  pledge 
cards,  booklets  and  tracts.  All  prices  were  put 
at  the  lowest  possible  figure  that  would  enable  us 
to  get  the  articles  to  our  customers  without  loss. 
For  two  or  three  years  I  entered  into  an  arrange- 
ment with  the  Endeavorers  in  Spain,  for  the  joint 
publication  of  a  Christian  Endeavor  Handbook 
containing  notes  on  the  prayer-meeting  topics  and 
valuable  hints  for  the  conduct  of  different  depart- 


A  BOOK  BUSINESS  179 

ments  of  the  work  of  local  societies.  I  ordered 
seven  hundred  copies,  advertised  them  thorouglily 
by  sending  samples  to  the  evangelical  periodicals, 
and  disposed  of  them  all;  so  that  it  was  possible 
at  the  next  national  convention  to  hand  over  to 
the  treasurer  a  few  dollars  of  profit. 

Orders  for  Christian  Endeavor  material  came 
to  me  from  all  parts  of  the  Eepublic,  from  so- 
cieties scattered  throughout  several  states  in  the 
southwestern  part  of  our  own  country,  from  Cuba 
and  Porto  Rico,  from  several  countries  of  South 
America,  and  even  from  Guam  and  the  Philip- 
pines. These  orders  and  some  of  the  letters  which 
enclosed  them  were  of  intense  interest  to  me, 
making  the  extra  work  a  delight  and  in  no  sense 
a  burden.  The  printed  matter  was  not  enough; 
for  the  Endeavorers  wanted  to  wear  the  emblem 
of  the  society.  It  was  not  practicable  to  obtain 
the  pins  from  the  headquarters  in  Boston,  where 
the  prices  were  in  American  gold.  So  we  had 
them  made  in  Mexico  City  by  Mexican  workmen 
who  used  silver  taken  from  the  native  mines, 
through  the  interposition  of  the  Rev.  Arcadio 
Morales  who  in  his  youth  had  learned  the  trade 
of  a  silversmith.  When  the  Endeavorers  of  New 
Mexico  invited  me  to  attend  their  annual  conven- 
tion held  in  Santa  Fe  in  December  of  1900,  to  re- 
port for  them  the  London  Convention,  I  carried 
with  me  a  lot  of  those  Christian  Endeavor  pins, 
all  of  which  were  purchased  with  avidity  because 


180  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

they  were  regarded  in  the  light  of  interesting 
souvenirs. 

When  the  Rev.  Dr.  William  H.  Gulick,  for 
many  years  a  missionary  of  the  American  Board 
at  Madrid,  learned  of  the  amount  received  in  one 
year  at  Chihuahua  for  all  kinds  of  publications, 
he  wrote  me  that  he  doubted  whether  the  annual 
receipts  from  sales  by  all  the  evangelical  agencies 
in  Spain  would  equal  it.  But  the  conditions  in 
the  respective  countries  were  very  different.  In 
the  former  case  we  were  dealing  with  a  people 
who  had  been  emancipated  by  the  Reform  Laws 
from  the  official  domination  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic hierarchy  (although  their  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence, which  was  adopted  in  1810,  stipulated 
that  the  only  religion  to  be  tolerated  in  the  new 
Republic  should  be  that  of  the  Holy  Catholic 
Apostolic  Roman  Church),  who  had  been  liberal- 
ized to  some  extent  by  their  contact  with  Ameri- 
cans, and  who  probably  had  a  better  income  than 
did  those  to  whom  the  missionary  forces  in  Spain 
had  access. 

In  those  days,  before  the  adoption  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati Plan  for  division  of  territory,  each  one 
of  the  denominations  at  work  in  the  Republic  had 
its  own  periodical;  and  we  encouraged  our  breth- 
ren and  acquaintances  to  subscribe  for  several  of 
the  leading  ones.  An  uneducated  local  preacher 
who  was  put  in  charge  of  a  certain  district  was 
able  to  multiply  his  efficiency  many  times  by  ob- 
taining subscribers  to  those  journals,  placing  a 


A  BOOK  BUMNESS  181 

large  share  of  them  in  families  not  connected  in 
any  way  with  our  small  congregations,  with  the 
result  that  those  evangelical  papers  made  monthly, 
semi-monthly  or  weekly  visits  to  homes  which 
would  not  receive  him  as  a  visitor.  During  a  stay 
of  a  few  days  in  the  mining  town  of  Cusi- 
huiriachic  I  placed  more  than  one  hundred  sub- 
scriptions to  the  Presbyterian  paper,  "El  Faro," 
which  was  the  denomination  we  favored  most,  out- 
side of  our  own  "El  Testigo,"  and  which  was  the 
first  to  be  printed  with  illustrations. 

One  branch  of  the  business  which  consumed  a 
good  deal  of  time  was  that  of  supplying  publica- 
tions to  one  or  more  colporteurs  at  work  under  the 
supervision  of  our  particular  station.  Even  to 
employ  one  man  involved  considerable  bookkeep- 
ing; for  it  was  necessary  to  open  both  a  book  ac- 
count and  a  cash  account  with  him,  and  also  keep 
both  kinds  of  account  with  the  Mexico  City  Agency 
of  the  Ajnerican  Bible  Society,  and  all  four  ac- 
counts were  rendered  monthly. 

For  a  good  while  we  had  as  colporteur  an 
American  who  had  intended  to  join  a  faith  mission 
in  China.  Instead  he  came  to  Mexico  hoping  to 
make  a  living  while  preaching  the  gospel.  He  ar- 
rived at  our  house  unannounced  and  with  all  his 
worldly  possessions  contained  in  two  handbags. 
Inquiry  as  to  his  expected  means  of  support  elic- 
ited the  laconic  response,  as  he  pointed  to  a  Bible 
lying  on  my  table,  * '  That  is  my  check  book. ' '  We 
could  do  no  less  than  provide  him  witli  food  and 


182  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

shelter  for  a  time.  He  was  ready  to  tackle  any 
kind  of  a  job,  and  found  work  on  our  division  of 
the  railroad  as  a  member  of  the  "bridge  gang." 
This  often  involved  working  in  the  water,  some- 
times with  his  body  half  immersed ;  so  that  he  had 
a  fit  of  sickness  and  was  obliged  to  go  to  the  hos- 
pital. But  he  managed  to  get  into  circulation 
among  the  laborers  a  good  many  copies  of  the 
Scriptures ;  so  that  we  recommended  him  for  em- 
ployment by  the  Bible  Agency. 

As  colporteur  he  made  a  thorough  canvass  of 
the  three  northwestern  states  and  the  territory 
of  Lower  California,  enduring  many  hardships 
with  a  truly  heroic  spirit,  and  disposing  of  a  great 
many  books  besides  those  supplied  by  the  Agency. 
While  he  was  working  along  the  west  coast,  where 
as  yet  were  no  lines  of  railroad,  we  availed  our- 
selves of  the  federal  telegraph  which  connected  all 
towns  of  any  importance  and  saved  us  much  time 
and  expense.  We  invented  a  secret  code  which  en- 
abled the  man  to  send  a  large  order  for  publica- 
tions and  yet  not  exceed  ten  words,  a  single  letter 
indicating  a  book  of  a  particular  size  and  binding. 
At  an  average  cost  of  only  thirty  or  forty  cents 
in  gold,  he  could  advise  me  in  an  hour's  time  of  his 
needs  in  Sonora  or  Sinaloa.  One  of  his  orders 
stands  out  in  my  memory  because  it  required  al- 
most a  day's  labor  on  my  part,  to  select  the  wide 
variety  of  books,  enter  them  on  account,  wrap 
them  securely  for  shipping  by  mail,  address  the 
packages,  weigh  them  and  affix  the  proper  amount 


A  BOOK  BUSINESS  183 

of  stamps.  The  resulting  product  was  forty-seven 
parcels  of  about  four  pounds  eacli.  Not  all  of 
tliem  were  delivered  at  the  post  office  at  one  time, 
lest  they  cause  great  inconvenience  to  the  mail  car- 
riers in  a  sparsely  settled  region;  but  they  were 
divided  into  four  lots,  and  dispatched  during  as 
many  days  in  succession.  To  the  honor  of  Mex- 
ico's postal  service,  it  should  be  added  that  all  of 
them  reached  their  destination. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUH,DING 

For  a  long  time  it  had  not  been  possible  to  se- 
cure a  suitable  site  for  the  erection  of  a  church 
edifice.  At  the  very  beginning  were  noticed  some 
lots  situated  near  the  upper  end  of  Avenida  Inde- 
pendencia,  upon  which  stood  a  small  adobe  build- 
ing bearing  upon  its  front  wall  the  sign,  "Socie- 
dad  Mutualista  de  Obreros,"  and  which  would  be 
admirably  adapted  to  our  purpose.  But  the 
mayor  informed  me  that  the  city  owned  the  prop- 
erty, and  had  granted  to  that  society  free  use  of 
the  premises  on  condition  that  it  teach  mechanical 
trades  to  others  besides  its  own  members. 

One  morning  in  the  year  1889,  I  observed  some 
federal  soldiers  at  work  with  pickaxes  and  other 
tools  leveling  to  the  ground  that  part  of  the  wall 
enclosing  the  grounds  of  the  Mutual  Society  of 
Workmen  which  obstructed  the  view  up  Indepen- 
dence Avenue.  Inquiry  elicited  the  information 
that  the  avenue,  which  at  that  point  turned  to  the 
right,  was  to  be  carried  straight  through  to  the 
Alameda;  and  that  the  city  government  had  can- 
celed its  agreement  with  the  workmen,  on  the 
ground  that  they  had  not  fulfilled  their  part  of  the 

184 


n 

W 
O 

a 
o 


o 

> 
O 

o 


25 


o 

n 

X 

c 
> 


AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUILDING         185 

contract,  and  liad  sold  the  part  not  roquirod  for 
opening  the  street  to  certain  private  parties,  wlio 
had  divided  it  into  three  lots. 

Either  one  of  the  three,  all  facing  the  ave- 
nue, would  be  a  fine  location  for  a  church,  since 
they  were  on  an  elevated  site,  about  four  hundred 
yards  distant  from  the  main  plaza,  and  almost  at 
the  geographical  center  of  the  city,  although  out- 
side of  the  business  district.  But  my  choice  was 
for  the  one  on  the  corner  of  Coronado  Street,  and 
thus  nearest  to  the  plaza,  besides  facing  two 
streets.  Fortunately  that  lot  was  o\^■^led  by  a  fed- 
eral judge  who  had  already  given  proof  of  his 
friendship  for  me ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  he 
had  executed  a  deed  of  sale  of  the  coveted  site 
for  a  very  moderate  sum,  which  was  advanced 
from  private  funds. 

It  may  be  explained  here  that  a  wise  rule  of  the 
American  Board  forbids  its  missionaries  to  pur- 
chase with  mission  funds  real  estate  for  its  use, 
or  to  contract  for  such  purchase,  without  previous 
permission  from  headquarters.  Therefore  we 
bought  the  lot  at  our  own  risk,  feeling  sure  that 
such  a  wonderful  opportunity  ought  not  to  be  lost ; 
and  word  was  sent  at  once  to  Secretary  Clark  of 
the  chance  to  purchase  a  fine  site  at  a  low  figure. 
He  replied  with  the  suggestion  that,  if  possible, 
I  get  the  refusal  of  it  for  a  while  until  tlie  Pruden- 
tial Committee  could  take  action.  He  was  then 
told  that  the  property  in  question  had  come  into 


186  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

the  possession  of  an  American  resident  who  was 
willing  to  wait  a  reasonable  length  of  time. 

According  to  the  terms  of  the  sale  by  the  munic- 
ipality the  purchaser  was  obligated  to  begin  build- 
ing on  the  land  within  one  year.  The  expiration 
of  that  time  limit  approached ;  and  as  j^et  no  action 
had  been  taken  in  Boston.  Therefore  in  order  to 
preserve  our  title,  we  had  to  make  a  further  out- 
lay. We  built  on  the  rear  part  of  the  lot  a  small 
dwelling  of  three  rooms  which  might  in  time  be 
occupied  by  the  janitor  of  the  church  edifice  to 
be.  Then  the  o^vner  of  the  adjoining  lot  offered 
to  sell  it  to  me,  suggesting  that  a  church  would 
need  a  site  of  ampler  dimensions.  When  his  offer 
was  declined,  on  the  score  of  lack  of  funds  suffi- 
cient for  utilizing  two  lots,  he  asked  me  to  lend  him 
money  on  his  note  secured  by  mortgage  on  the  lot. 
This  appealed  to  me,  because  the  site  would  be 
so  admirable  for  a  boys'  school,  if  the  Board 
should  decide  to  establish  one,  or  for  a  missionary 
residence ;  and  we  lent  him  the  amount  he  named, 
which  was  less  than  we  had  paid  for  the  corner  lot. 

In  the  year  1890  District  Secretary  A.  N.  Hitch- 
cock of  Chicago  visited  our  mission;  and  we 
showed  him  the  wonderful  site  with  the  adobe 
house  on  it,  telling  him  the  whole  story.  He  was  so 
deeply  interested  that  soon  after  his  return  home 
he  wrote  offering  to  obtain  funds  for  the  purchase 
on  a  certain  condition,  w^hich  was  accepted.  Soon 
was  he  able  to  report  the  entire  amount  pledged, 
and  a  surplus  of  $125  for  the  building  fund.    With- 


AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUILDING         187 

in  a  week  came  a  letter  from  Boston  with  the  good 
news  that  $1000  had  been  appropriated  for  the 
same  object.  In  the  bank  had  accumulated  toward 
the  building  fund  another  $1000.  Evidently  the 
time  had  arrived  for  proposing  to  take  into  part- 
nership with  us  our  friends  in  the  home  land,  more 
especially  those  in  Montclair ;  and  leave  of  absence 
for  some  months  was  obtained  for  the  purpose  of 
interviewing  them,  the  entire  trip  to  be  made  at 
our  own  charges. 

Chicago  architects  were  visited  and  engaged  to 
draw  plans  for  a  building.  They  were  asked  to 
make  it  as  large  as  possible  for  the  money,  and 
with  high  walls  like  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
churches.  Also  it  was  arranged  with  them  to 
place  in  the  wide  recess  behind  the  pulpit  a  group 
of  five  lancet  windows  similar  to  those  in  the  chapel 
of  Beloit  College;  and  to  show  in  some  prominent 
way  the  symbol  of  our  redemption.  It  was  stipu- 
lated that  there  should  be  a  roomy  vestibule  in 
which  the  curious  might  stand  to  look  and  listen, 
without  committing  themselves  so  far  as  to  take 
seats  inside  with  the  congregation. 

The  specifications  called  for  a  structure  seventy- 
five  feet  in  length  by  fifty-four  in  width,  having 
walls  thirty  feet  in  height  and  a  flat  roof.  Tlie 
drawing  shoAved  an  octagonal  tower  on  the  corncM', 
twenty  feet  in  diameter,  rising  twenty  feet  above 
the  roof  and  terminating  in  a  spire  fifteen  feet 
higher,  or  sixty-five  feet  in  all.  Tlie  main  en- 
trance was  through  the  tower,  under  three  arches 


188  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

of  stone  which  were  closed  by  means  of  iron  gates. 
The  floor  of  the  vestibule  was  of  stone,  like  the 
sidewalks  on  both  streets,  and  was  practically  an 
extension  of  these.  On  one  side  double  doors  gave 
access  to  the  main  auditorium;  while  on  another 
was  the  entrance  to  the  chapel.  On  the  remaining 
three  sides  in  place  of  baseboards  were  slabs  of 
dressed  stone.  Thus  it  would  not  matter  if  water 
should  flow  in  during  a  driving  rainstorm.  In 
order  that  passersby  might  not  mistake  our  edifice 
for  a  Roman  Catholic  church,  the  architects  re- 
frained from  placing  a  cross  on  the  spire,  but  they 
ingeniously  left  a  cross-shaped  opening  in  the  wall 
of  the  tower  above  each  one  of  the  three  arches 
spanning  the  entrance.  Thus  both  in  the  number 
of  the  arches  and  in  the  thrice-repeated  symbol 
above  them  we  seemed  to  have  architectural  fea- 
tures in  harmony  with  the  ancient  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity,  which  had  been  recalled  in  choosing  that 
name  for  the  church  that  was  organized  six  years 
before. 

Inside,  the  vaulted  ceiling  rose  to  a  height  of 
twenty-five  feet,  concealing  the  heavy  trusses  of 
timbers  and  iron  rods  which  supported  the  roof. 
The  four  walls  were  protected  by  a  wainscoting 
six  feet  in  height.  All  the  woodwork  was  of  Texas 
pine,  oiled  and  varnished.  Light  in  abundance 
was  admitted  through  eight  large,  triple  windows 
with  Roman  arches ;  three  of  the  windows  on  each 
side,  and  two  in  front  for  the  chapel.  The  arched 
portions  of  each,  as  well  as  the  entire  windows 


AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUILDING         189 

in  the  recess  behind  the  pulpit,  were  filled  with 
leaded  cathedral  glass,  finer  than  that  possessed 
by  any  other  building  in  the  city.  To  please  the 
native  taste,  warm  colors  were  selected ;  while  the 
lancet  windows  were  further  enriched  with  pic- 
tures and  adornments.  In  the  central  one  of  these 
was  seen  an  open  Bible,  since  our  chief  endeavor 
was  to  get  that  book  into  the  hands  of  the  people. 
In  those  on  either  side  were  the  first  and  the  last 
letters  of  the  Greek  alphabet,  recalling  Him  who  is 
represented  as  saying,  ''I  am  alpha  and  omega,  the 
first  and  the  last."  In  the  middle  of  the  first  and 
of  the  fifth  was  a  pure  white  lily;  while  all  five 
were  decorated  with  imitations  of  precious  stones 
— rubies,  topazes  and  diamonds. 

An  immense  amount  of  dressed  stone  was  to  be 
used  in  the  structure,  although  the  chief  material 
for  the  walls,  two  feet  in  thickness,  was  to  be 
adohe;  for  a  cornice  of  stone  five  feet  in  height 
was  carried  along  the  top  of  the  walls  on  the  two 
street  fronts,  besides  three  feet  at  the  bottom, 
between  the  water  table  and  the  foundation.  Be- 
sides the  stone  and  adobe,  there  w^ere  brought 
from  Texas  five  carloads  of  lumber. 

The  responses  from  friends  who  saw  the  arolii- 
tects'  plans  were  most  cheering.  Those  in  Mont- 
clair  promised  $2500,  increased  by  later  gifts  of 
the  bell  and  pulpit  furniture  to  $3000.  Relatives 
took  a  generous  share  in  the  enterprise.  The 
superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school  in  New  Haven, 
who  had  visited  us  years  before  and  was  so  in- 


190  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

terested  by  what  he  saw  that  he  sent  $100  to  the 
Board  for  our  work,  gave  $300.  A  lady  member  of 
our  church  in  Bound  Brook,  who  had  also  seen 
our  work  on  the  field,  sent  her  check  for  the  same 
amount.  The  donor  of  the  gymnasium  for  Beloit 
College,  when  he  was  asked  by  letter  for  a  certain 
sum,  remitted  it  immediately.  These  are  but  a 
few  of  the  instances  which  might  be  mentioned; 
but  they  serve  to  show  from  how  many  quarters 
came  the  needed  aid. 

An  American  resident  who  was  both  a  mason 
and  a  carpenter,  and  accustomed  to  employ  Mexi- 
can labor,  and  had  built  two  churches  in  the  United 
States,  contracted  to  build  the  church  on  very 
reasonable  terms ;  and  in  February,  1892,  ground 
was  broken  for  the  foundations  which  were  laid 
broad  and  deep,  ''the  best  in  the  city"  being  the 
declaration  of  a  banker  who  inspected  them.  At 
first  the  priests  caused  us  annoyance  by  frighten- 
ing away  some  of  the  common  laborers ;  but  soon 
the  contractor  had  all  the  men  he  wanted,  and  he 
remarked  upon  the  change  in  public  sentiment 
which  grew  more  favorable  from  day  to  day.  As 
a  prominent  visitor  from  the  United  States  put 
the  case,  when  the  building  was  nearing  comple- 
tion, ''The  erection  of  so  noble  an  edifice  on  this 
sightly  location  for  the  Protestant  Church  is  prob- 
ably equivalent  to  the  maintenance  here  of  an  ad- 
ditional missionary  family." 

The  digging  of  the  trenches  for  the  foundation 
brought  to  light  the  contents  of  ancient  graves; 


AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUILDING         191 

for  the  site  was  part  of  the  first  cemetery  of  the 
town,  (from  which  all  monuments  had  long  since 
been  removed),  and  dated  back  more  than  two 
hundred  years,  having  been  called  El  Campo 
Santo  de  San  Felipe.  An  attorney,  scion  of  one 
of  the  oldest  families,  who  accepted  my  invitation 
to  inspect  the  interior  of  the  finished  cdilicc  in 
after  years,  remarked,  while  we  were  studying  the 
details  of  a  memorial  window: ''Ancestors  of  mine 
are  buried  here ;  the  graves  in  this  place  hold  the 
bodies  of  generals  and  governors."  We  kept  out 
of  sight,  as  far  as  possible,  the  human  bones  and 
bits  of  coffins,  and  buried  them  again  at  the  base 
of  the  foundation  wall.  Nevertheless,  since  the 
earth  which  was  taken  from  the  trenches  was  made 
into  adobes  for  use  in  the  structure,  it  is  the  literal 
truth  that  some  portions  of  the  dust  of  the  early 
inhabitants  who  were  adherents  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  (because  the  old  cemetery  was 
consecrated  ground  and  under  ecclesiastical  con- 
trol, as  the  places  for  burial  are  not  now),  were 
built  into  the  walls  of  Trinity  Church,  where 
assemble  for  worship  Protestants,  whose  lifeless 
bodies  even  would  not  be  suffered  to  pollute 
sacred  earth,  if  the  religious  hierarchy  were  al- 
lowed to  dominate  everything,  as  it  did  before 
the  adoption  of  the  Reform  Laws  of  1857. 

The  lancet  windows  above  the  pulpit  platform 
were  furnished  by  my  brotlier-in-law,  Mr.  Jolm 
Barnes  Pratt,  in  memory  of  his  mother ;  and  in  the 


192  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

vestibule  was  placed  by  his  father  a  large  tablet 
of  bronze  bearing  the  inscription: 

*'En  Memoria  de 

Adeline  Barnes  Pratt 

Quien  Amaba  a  los  Mexicanos 

Se  Ha  Construido  Este  Templo  Cristiano 

A  la  Gloria  de  Dios 

A.D.  1892." 

Although  Mrs.  Pratt  had  never  visited  that 
country,  and  had  passed  into  the  higher  life  only 
four  years  after  our  missionary  work  began,  she 
was  deeply  interested  in  all  efforts  put  forth  for 
the  elevation  of  the  people,  following  closely  the 
progress  of  the  work,  becoming  acquainted 
through  correspondence  with  the  names  and  to 
some  extent  with  the  personal  history  of  individ- 
uals concerned  in  it,  and  offering  suggestions  of 
value  to  the  workers.  Therefore  was  it  eminently 
fitting  that,  by  permission  of  the  American  Board, 
her  name  should  be  linked  with  the  noble  edifice 
which  crowned  as  with  a  diadem  the  first  ten  years 
of  labor. 

In  the  upper  chamber  of  the  tower  was  placed 
a  sonorous  bell  weighing  a  thousand  pounds.  Mr. 
Clinton  H.  Meneeley  wrote  me  a  letter  stating  that 
it  had  been  cast  to  order  as  one  of  a  chime  for 
Saint  Patrick's  Cathedral  in  New  York,  but  that 
it  was  shipped  to  us  because  it  was  of  the  exact 
weight  we  had  ordered,  and  we  had  expressed  the 


AN  ERA  OF   CHURCH  BUH^DING         193 

desire  of  getting  it  as  soon  as  possible,  in  order 
that  it  might  be  rung  for  the  dedication,  lie 
added  that  there  was  still  abundance  of  time  in 
which  to  cast  another  for  the  famous  cathedral. 
We  raised  in  Chihuahua  $150  to  cover  freight  and 
custom-house  charges ;  but  the  bell  was  donated  by 
the  Sunday-school  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Montclair.  This  fact  is  stated  by  an 
inscription  stippled  on  its  convex  surface,  while 
underneath  and  nearer  the  mouth  of  the  bell  are 
the  words,  ''Let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come."  In 
the  wall  around  that  octagonal  chamber  are  six- 
teen open  arches  through  which  is  obtained  a  mag- 
nificent panoramic  view  of  the  city  and  the  sur- 
rounding plains  and  mountains,  without  a  single 
building  high  enough  to  obstruct  the  vision  of  a 
complete  horizon;  and  through  those  arches,  dur- 
ing thirty  years  past,  have  been  sounding  out  the 
words  of  invitation  which  many  have  heeded. 

For  the  dedication  on  the  evening  of  November 
12,  seats  for  five  hundred  people  were  crowded 
close  together,  leaving  at  the  rear  a  large  part 
of  the  floor  available  for  standing  room.  Hand- 
somely printed  invitations,  signed  by  citizens  of 
four  different  countries — Mexico,  the  United 
States,  England  and  Germany — had  been  sent 
widely  to  families  outside  the  congregation,  to 
serve  as  cards  of  admission  to  be  presented  at 
the  door.  In  anticipation  of  the  great  crowd  that 
was  sure  to  assemble,  we  asked  for  police  protec- 
tion; and  two  officers  were  sent  to  guard  the  en- 


194  LIFE   UNDER   TWO   FLAGS 

trance  at  the  outer  gates.  Seven  hundred  were 
admitted,  and  the  number  might  have  been  nearer 
one  thousand,  had  it  not  been  for  the  timidity  of 
our  untrained  ushers  who  failed  to  keep  open  the 
passageway.  Late  comers  with  invitations  in 
liand,  seeing  the  throng  pressing  against  the  gates, 
supposed  there  was  no  more  room  inside,  and  tried 
to  content  themselves  with  hearing  what  they 
could  through  the  open  windows. 

Back  of  the  pulpit  were  draped  the  flags  of  the 
four  nations  already  mentioned.  Supported  on  an 
easel  at  one  side  was  a  large  crayon  portrait  of 
the  lady  in  whose  memory  the  church  had  been 
built.  In  the  audience  were  representatives  of  all 
classes,  government  officials,  professional  men, 
merchants  and  artisans;  and  the  attendance  of  a 
large  number  of  ladies  was  especially  gratifying. 
The  music  was  furnished  by  an  orchestra  and 
four  vocalists.  Seated  on  the  platform  were  seven 
ministers ;  but  before  these  should  take  any  part, 
there  was  presented  a  preparatory  program  of  un- 
usual character.  Senor  Zapata,  superintendent  of 
public  instruction,  expressed  hearty  appreciation 
of  our  efforts  in  behalf  of  education.  Don  Tito 
Arriola,  an  attorney  and  a  member  of  the  state 
legislature,  spoke  of  man's  need  of  religion;  and 
he  rapidly  sketched  the  history  of  Christianity,  re- 
ferring to  Luther  and  the  Reformation,  the  abuses 
committed  by  the  Inquisition,  the  happier  day  of 
freedom  of  worship,  and  the  modern  effort  to  gain 
converts  not  by  the  sword  but  by  the  persuasive- 


AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUILDING         195 

ness  of  the  truth.  He  closed  by  saying,  in  Spanish 
of  course:  "The  Evangelical  Church  is  a  powerful 
aid  to  our  progress,  founding  schools,  publishing 
periodicals,  and  extending  civilization  among  our 
people.  It  has  relieved  poverty,  furnished  em- 
plojuient  to  labor,  beautified  our  cities  by  the  erec- 
tion of  modern  edifices,  and  deepened  the  senti- 
ment of  patriotism  in  the  hearts  of  our  people. 
Such  conduct  gives  to  the  ministers  of  this  com- 
munion legitimate  title  to  the  respect  and  grati- 
tude of  every  good  Mexican,  and  justifies  the 
favorable  reception  accorded  to  this  church  by  the 
citizens  of  Chihuahua,  a  considerable  number  of 
whom  attend  its  services  under  the  protection  of 
the  laws  which  guarantee  freedom  of  worship." 

Both  speakers  were  heartily  applauded;  and  it 
seemed  wonderful  indeed  that  such  influential  men 
should  be  willing  to  stand  on  the  same  platform 
with  Protestant  ministers,  and  utter  such  senti- 
ments to  an  assemblage  of  which  the  majority 
were  nominally  Roman  Catholics.  A  brief  sketch 
of  the  life  and  character  of  Mrs.  Pratt  was  read 
by  another  gentleman  who  also  was  an  educator. 
The  sermon  was  by  Rev.  John  Howland  of  Guada- 
lajara, on  Spiritual  Worship.  For  the  act  of  dedi- 
cation the  entire  audience  arose,  and  remained 
standing  during  the  prayer  of  consecration.  It 
was  delightful  to  hear  the  voices  of  our  guests 
blending  with  those  of  the  brethren  in  reciting  tlie 
responses  indicated  in  the  printed  form,  and  to 
note  their  attitude  of  reverence.    At  the  close  of 


196  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

the  service  was  manifested  universal  satisfaction ; 
and  in  the  days  follomng  we  heard  some  Roman- 
ists say:  ''It  was  beautiful  and  solemn,  very  dif- 
ferent from  what  we  had  been  led  to  expect." 
There  were  sent  to  the  church  letters  of  congratu- 
lation, from  Dr.  Richard  Salter  Storrs  and  from 
the  Congregational  Association  of  New  Jersey 
through  the  Rev.  Cornelius  H.  Patton  of  West- 
field,  now  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  American 
Board,  whose  brother  Normand  S.  Patton  de- 
signed the  building. 

During  the  next  few  years  were  built  a  number 
of  houses  of  worship  in  the  state  of  Chihuahua  and 
in  the  adjoining  state  of  Sonora;  and  in  most 
cases  it  was  my  privilege  to  give  the  dedicatory 
address.  The  most  commodious  edifice  of  them  all 
was  that  erected  in  Parral  as  a  memorial  of  the 
gifted  wife  of  the  young  missionary  who  was  sta- 
tioned in  that  important  city.  Another  was  built 
by  the  offerings  and  the  personal  labor  of  the 
''Church  of  the  Pilgrims"  in  San  Isidro  de  las 
Cuevas.  A  single  member  of  the  congregation  in 
San  Buenaventura,  who  owned  considerable  prop- 
erty, on  a  lot  adjoining  his  residence  built  a  chapel 
at  his  own  charges,  and  arranged  to  have  it  dedi- 
cated on  the  first  day  of  the  twentieth  century. 
It  was  his  cherished  hope  that  one  of  his  younger 
sons  might  hear  a  providential  call  to  educate 
himself  to  be  a  preacher,  occupy  the  house  next 
to  the  chapel,  and  minister  to  the  congregation 
holding  its  meetings  there.    Until  his  death  he 


AN  ERA  OF  CHURCH  BUILDING         197 

was  happy  to  ring  the  bell  which  summoned  rela- 
tives and  neighbors  to  the  building  he  had  pre- 
pared for  song  and  prayer  and  meditation. 

In  Hermosillo,  the  capital  of  Sonora,  on  tlie 
principal  street  a  church  was  built  by  Rev.  M.  A. 
Crawford  with  the  aid  of  his  father  and  his 
brothers,  he  himself  doing  much  of  the  work  with 
his  own  hands.  On  the  Friday  and  Saturday  eve- 
nings preceding  the  dedication  the  place  was  filled 
with  people  who  had  been  invited  to  attend  exhi- 
bitions of  pictures  by  means  of  my  stereopticon. 
The  governor  of  the  state,  upon  whom  we  had 
called  to  pay  our  respects,  graciously  accepted  an 
invitation  and  brought  his  wife  and  children  to 
the  function.  It  was  a  great  point  gained  to  se- 
cure in  this  way  the  presence  of  influential  families 
in  a  building  where  later,  as  all  of  them  knew, 
the  Protestants  would  be  meeting  for  worship. 


CHAPTER  XV 

MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS 

After  taking  possession  of  the  private  bouse 
on  Aldama  Street,  as  described  in  the  ninth  chap- 
ter, the  first  formal  religious  service  for  our 
countrymen  was  held  there  on  Sunday  afternoon, 
December  24,  1882,  with  an  attendance  of  sixty 
persons,  many  of  them  Mexicans.  An  American 
previously  had  remarked  to  me:  "If  a  man  wants 
to  succeed  in  this  country,  he  would  better  not 
meddle  with  either  politics  or  religion."  While 
the  fear  of  offending  Roman  Catholics  probably 
kept  some  away,  the  large  sala  of  our  residence 
was  filled;  and  we  were  gratified  by  the  response 
to  the  announcement  of  a  service  in  the  English 
language. 

At  the  close  all  were  invited  to  remain  to  hear 
a  statement  of  plans  for  continuing  the  meetings ; 
and  a  committee  was  named  to  draw  up  a  con- 
stitution for  a  religious  society.  One  week  later 
an  instrument  was  presented  and  adopted,  under 
the  title  of  "The  American  Evangelical  Society 
of  Chihuahua."  Its  object  was  stated  to  be  "The 
promotion  of  acquaintance  and  good  feeling  among 
the  Americans  resident  in  the  city,  recognition 

198 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  199 

of  the  common  bonds  of  Christian  fellowship 
uniting  those  of  various  religious  connections,  and 
the  maintenance  of  stated  public  worship  on  the 
Lord 's  Day. ' '  Officers  were  elected  for  six  months 
only,  on  account  of  the  probability  of  frequent 
changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  membership.  Two 
months  later  was  organized  a  Sunday-school  with 
three  classes.  After  some  years  the  word 
''Union"  was  substituted  for  ''American,"  to  em- 
phasize the  spirit  of  unity  among  the  different 
denominations  represented,  and  because  some  of 
the  most  faithful  members  were  from  Great  Britain 
and  Canada.  During  more  than  twenty  years 
these  were  the  only  meetings  for  worship  in  Eng- 
lish, with  the  exception  of  one  year  when  a  min- 
ister of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
was  preaching  in  a  chapel  of  their  mission,  which 
was  begun  four  years  after  we  entered  the  city. 
Then  the  Episcopalians  started  w^ork  for  Eng- 
lish-speaking people  only ;  and  about  the  same  time 
came  the  Baptists  to  establish  services  in  both  lan- 
guages. Also  the  Methodists  made  English  work 
a  part  of  their  regular  plan  of  operation.  Conse- 
quently the  word  "Union"  no  longer  fitted  the 
actual  situation;  and  in  the  month  of  April.  1904, 
was  organized  Trinity  Congregational  Church. 
The  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  Linus 
Blakesley,  D.D.,  who  for  thirty  years  had  ))een 
pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  To- 
peka,  Kansas.  It  was  not  possible  to  assemble 
a  council  of  churches  to  welcome  into  their  fellow- 


200  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

ship  the  new  organization ;  but  we  obtained  public 
recognition  in  a  novel  and  scarcely  less  impressive 
manner.  For  there  were  read  letters  from  four 
prominent  ministers,  as  follows:  (1)  Eev.  John 
Rowland  of  Guadalajara,  pastor  of  the  English 
Congregation  there ;  (2)  Rev.  W.  Elsworth  Lawson 
of  Mexico  City,  pastor  of  the  Union  Evangelical 
Church  at  the  capital;  (3)  Rev.  Dr.  James  L. 
Barton  of  Boston,  Foreign  Secretary  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board;  (4)  Rev.  Dr.  A.  H.  Bradford  of 
Montclair,  N.  J.,  Moderator  of  the  National  Coun- 
cil of  Congregational  Churches  in  the  United 
States,  who  wrote: 

Dear  Brethren  and  Friends: 

I  have  heard  with  much  interest  of  the  new  Congre- 
gational Church  soon  to  be  started  in  Chihuahua.  Such 
an  event  is  of  international  importance,  and  one  which 
seems  to  call  for  a  few  words  of  greeting  and  congratu- 
lation from  the  Moderator  of  the  National  Council  of 
Congregational  Churches  of  the  United  States  of 
America. 

We  are  so  near  to  one  another  in  our  continental  re- 
lations, that  what  concerns  you  also  concerns  us.  And 
I  think  we  are  destined  to  be  still  nearer  in  our  social 
and  spiritual  kinship  than  we  are  geographically.  Our 
peace  and  welfare  are  bound  up  with  all  that  concerns 
the  welfare  of  Mexico.  Your  peace  and  prosperity 
means  ours  also.  If  a  pure  and  noble  type  of  Christian- 
ity is  developed  within  your  territory,  it  will  make  all 
Christian  work  on  the  American  continent  easier.  A 
great  and  increasing  opportunity  is  opening  before  you. 

I  am  sure  that  I  voice  the  sentiment  of  all  our  churches 
in  the  United  States  when  I  pray  that  the  blessing  of 
God  may  attend  the  beginning  of  your  church,  and  fol- 
low it  throughout  all  the  coming  years. 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

Amory  H.  Bradford. 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  201 

The  beginning  of  religious  services  in  Eiiglisli 
immediately  upon  our  arrival  in  Chiliuahua  was 
advantageous  in  several  ways.  First,  to  thinking 
people  of  the  Roman  Catholic  communion  even,  it 
seemed  only  fair  that  to  Protestants  should  be 
afforded  opportunity  for  public  worship  in  their 
mother  tongue;  and  that  they  should  have  a  min- 
ister to  baptize  their  children,  to  visit  them  in 
times  of  affliction,  to  counsel  them  in  difficult  situa- 
tions, to  bury  their  dead,  and  when  desired,  to 
officiate  at  weddings.  In  the  second  place,  this 
introductory  step  opened  the  way  for  carrying  the 
gospel  later  to  those  who  were  not  declared  Prot- 
estants. For  in  the  course  of  time  the  citizens 
became  somewhat  accustomed  to  the  idea  of  recog- 
nizing differences  in  religious  convictions,  and  of 
tolerating  other  forms  of  worship.  Whereas,  if 
the  missionary  at  the  outset  had  devoted  himself 
wholly  to  studying  Spanish  and  then,  when  he  had 
acquired  enough  of  a  vocabulary,  to  preaching 
the  gospel  exclusively  to  Mexicans  who  would 
listen,  it  might  have  been  said  to  him,  and  with 
pretty  good  reason,  ''Why  do  you  not  care  for  the 
hundreds  of  your  own  countrymen  who  are  living 
here?  They,  too,  need  instruction  in  spiritual 
things ;  they  require  moral  restraints  and  the  con- 
solations of  religion."  In  the  third  place,  in  this 
way  we  gained  friends  for  the  foreign  missionary 
enterprise.  Occasionally  were  donations  in  aid 
of  that  work  made  by  American  residents.  After 
the   Mexican   Central   Railway  was   opened  for 


202  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

through  traffic  in  1884,  many  tourists  visited  the 
city.  For  a  number  of  years  in  succession  the 
Raymond  and  Whitcomb  parties  always  spent 
their  first  Sunday  after  crossing  the  border,  in 
Chihuahua;  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  persuade 
some  of  the  Christians  on  the  excursion  train  to 
leave  their  sightseeing  long  enough  to  attend  the 
English  service  for  an  hour  in  the  afternoon. 
Some  of  these  travelers  became  so  interested  in 
the  mission  work  proper  that  they  made  offerings 
for  it,  either  to  us  on  the  spot  or  to  the  American 
Board  after  they  returned  home. 

Of  the  German  Colony  the  larger  part  had  been 
connected  in  the  old  country  with  the  Lutheran 
Church;  and  some  of  them  were  glad  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  services  of  the  only  Protestant 
minister  for  w^eddings  and  christenings.  When 
some  one  of  the  infant  sons  became  old  enough 
to  be  sent  to  Germany  for  his  education,  the  bap- 
tismal certificate  which  had  been  issued  by  the 
minister  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  was  for- 
warded with  him  as  one  of  his  credentials. 

Individual  Germans  were  of  great  help  to  us. 
One  young  man  who  had  graduated  in  theology 
from  the  university  of  Leipsic,  but  was  troubled 
with  an  affection  of  the  throat,  came  to  Mexico  to 
find  relief  in  its  admirable  climate.  He  had  a  fine 
tenor  voice,  and  for  a  year  sang  in  our  choir. 
Another,  the  son  of  a  clergyman  in  a  suburb  of 
Hamburg,  served  for  one  term  as  president  of  our 
society  of  Christian  Endeavor.    A  third  was  for 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  203 

a  time  treasurer  of  the  same  society;  and  he  was 
particularly  useful  whenever  there  was  occasion 
for  decorating  the  interior  of  the  auditorium,  lie 
being  decorator  of  the  show  windows  in  a  depart- 
ment store. 

One  of  our  mission  force  for  some  years  was 
Rev.  Theodore  F.  Hahn,  who  was  born  in  India, 
the  son  of  a  missionary  to  the  lepers.  Once  when 
he  was  our  guest  over  a  week  end,  it  was  arranged 
to  have  him  preach  in  German.  To  supply  the 
lack  of  hymnals  in  that  language,  the  Germans  had 
printed  an  order  of  service  containing  the  words 
of  three  hymns;  and  the  singing  was  led  by  a 
quartet  of  their  young  men.  From  the  rector  of 
the  Episcopal  Church  we  borrowed  a  scliolar's 
gown  for  Mr.  Hahn,  in  which  he  might  array  him- 
self so  as  to  wear  the  aspect  of  a  Lutheran  clergy- 
man. When  he  announced  the  scripture  lesson, 
the  whole  congregation  arose  and  remained  stand- 
ing reverently  while  he  read  from  the  Word  of 
God.  A  few  German  Jews  came  to  the  church  that 
day  in  order  that  they  might  have  the  treat  of 
hearing  in  their  o^ti  language  a  religious  address 
by  an  educated  man.  There  were  in  attendance 
about  sixty  of  that  nationality. 

The  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  raised 
money  for  remodeling  the  janitor's  residence  at 
the  rear  of  the  church  edifice,  so  as  to  make  of  it 
a  small  auditorium  with  a  curtained  stage  at  one 
end  for  musical  entertainments  and  social  gather- 
ings; and  there  was  held  the  English  Sunday- 


201  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

school.  Over  the  street  entrance  was  a  sign  with 
gilt  letters  on  a  black  background — ' '  C.  E.  Social 
Hall."  The  same  society  purchased  of  the 
Estey  Company  their  largest  reed  organ,  with 
two  manuals,  stops  and  pedal  bass,  for  use  in 
the  English  church  services.  At  this  instrument 
presided  our  son  Howard  who  had  had  experience 
as  organist  in  the  Second  Congregational  Church 
at  Beloit,  and  at  various  churches  in  Cliicago  while 
he  was  attending  the  medical  school ;  and  he  found 
that  more  satisfactory  results  could  be  obtained 
with  this  than  with  a  very  small  pipe  organ. 
Howard  and  his  wife  Katherine,  formerly  leading 
soprano  in  the  choir  of  the  Beloit  church,  attracted 
other  musical  people,  so  that  we  had  for  our  Eng- 
lish services  a  quartet  that  would  have  been  a 
credit  to  almost  any  church. 

The  Sunday-school  was  fortunate  in  having  ca- 
pable superintendents,  the  one  who  served  for  the 
longest  period  being  a  grandnephew  of  Eev.  Sam- 
uel Worcester,  first  secretary  of  the  American 
Board.  During  the  period  in  which  the  school  was 
simply  an  English  department  of  the  general  Bible 
school,  (as  was  the  case  for  some  fifteen  years), 
all  the  classes  met  together  for  the  opening  devo- 
tions; and  there  were  chosen  hymns  or  gospel 
songs  which  had  been  translated  from  the  English 
and  were  found  in  the  Spanish  hymnal.  Thus 
were  we  accustomed  to  use  simultaneously  two  dif- 
ferent books ;  and  yet  all  present  were  able  to  sing 
together,  everyone  in  his  own  tongue.    All  hearts 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  205 

were  united  in  the  spirit  of  praise  while  all  sang 
the  same  tune;  and  all  thoughful  minds  found  one 
vehicle  of  expression  for  the  same  religious  senti- 
ments. 

In  the  year  1908,  in  New  York,  at  a  luncheon 
which  was  attended  by  ministers  of  our  fellowship, 
the  chairman  called  on  me  for  a  word  from  Mexico. 
In  response  there  was  given  a  brief  sketch  of  the 
English  work  in  Chihuahua ;  and  the  question  was 
raised  whether  we  might  not  find  some  young  man, 
or  an  older  minister  possessed  of  private  means, 
who  would  accept  a  call  to  that  little  flock  and 
give  it  better  care  than  was  possible  to  one  who 
had  to  meet  so  many  other  demands  upon  his 
time  and  strength.  When  the  assemblage  was 
breaking  up,  a  gentleman  came  to  take  my  hand 
and  say  that  perhaps  he  himself  might  be  able  to 
render  the  service  which  had  been  suggested.  It 
was  the  Rev.  A.  L.  Loder,  a  graduate  of  Princeton 
College  and  Theological  Seminary;  and  soon  he 
accepted  the  offer  of  the  church  to  pay  the  small 
salary  of  an  unmarried  missionary.  All  were  de- 
lighted with  his  thoughtful  and  eloquent  preach- 
ing; and  after  a  short  time  his  stipend  was  in- 
creased. It  was  with  great  regret  that  we  ac- 
cepted his  resignation,  in  the  spring  of  1910,  when 
he  wished  to  make  a  long  visit  to  his  children 
in  the  home  land,  and  felt  that  the  church  ought 
not  be  left  without  leadership  for  six  months. 

A  successor  was  found  in  the  person  of  a  recent 
graduate  of  Atlanta  Theological  Seminary,  Rev. 


206  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

L.  Frank  McQ-inty,  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction  and 
a  native  of  Georgia.  So  considerable  a  portion  of 
the  congregation  had  come  from  the  South,  that 
it  was  thought  one  Avho  had  been  born  and 
reared  in  that  section  of  the  country  might  be 
welcomed  as  bringing  some  change  from  the  tradi- 
tions and  methods  of  Northerners.  Mr.  McGinty 
was  well  liked;  but  he  felt  unwilling  to  be  left 
alone  facing  an  unwonted  task,  particularly  in  a 
foreign  land,  and  having  to  administer  the  affairs 
of  a  church  that  had  been  formed  out  of  very 
diverse  elements.  Therefore  when,  in  the  autumn 
of  the  same  year,  we  left  for  the  United  States  on 
the  first  formal  furlough  we  had  taken  since  we 
started  the  Mission  to  Northern  Mexico  in  1882, 
he  obtained  release  from  his  engagement  and  went 
to  Yale  Theological  Seminary  for  a  year  of 
further  study.  But  in  the  meantime  he  had  made 
an  engagement  of  a  different  kind — having  won 
the  love  of  our  daughter  who  was  spending 
with  us  her  summer  vacation  from  Teachers  Col- 
lege, Columbia  University. 

On  the  Sunday  morning  before  we  went  away, 
in  the  name  of  the  congregation  he  presented  me 
with  a  handsome  watch  fob  which  had  attached  to 
it  a  facsimile  in  gold  of  the  artistic  bronze  medal 
which  had  been  struck  that  year  to  commemorate 
the  Centenary  of  Mexican  Independence.  It  was 
the  handiwork  of  a  Mexican  jeweler  of  my  ac- 
quaintance who  had  used  the  precious  metal  pro- 
duced by  one  of  the  mines  of  his  country. 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  207 

Several  years  earlier  there  had  been  given  me 
another  surprise  when  the  treasurer  of  the  church, 
an  English  banker,  called  at  my  study  and 
handed  me  a  generous  purse,  saying  that  I  was  to 
go  to  Southern  California  to  visit  my  wife  who  had 
been  absent  for  six  months  in  search  of  health,  at 
the  same  time  making  a  home  in  Claremont  for 
the  daughter  who  was  studying  in  the  preparatory 
school  of  Pomona  College.  We  met  at  **The 
Breakers"  in  Long  Beach  and  had  a  delightful  so- 
journ there,  spending  hours  at  a  time  on  the  sunny 
strand,  storing  up  strength  and  courage  for  years 
to  come. 

It  gives  us  great  satisfaction  to  know  that  al- 
most without  exception  the  young  people  who  were 
in  the  Bible  School  and  the  Christian  Endeavor 
Society  of  that  church  are  living  useful  lives. 
They  are  capable,  honest  and  upright  men  and 
women,  engaged  in  various  lines  of  business — 
commercial,  mining  and  manufacturing — and  in 
the  professions  of  medicine  and  teaching.  Some 
achieved  distinction  on  the  battle  fields  of  the 
World  War.  Others  are  winning  victories  in  the 
great  conflict  of  life,  in  which  there  are  no  exemp- 
tions on  account  of  age  or  physique  or  sex.  One 
is  secretary  of  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation in  Egypt.  A  young  woman,  now  wife 
and  mother,  is  active  in  social  service  through  a 
Parent-Teacher  Association  in  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia, ministering  to  the  needs,  both  physical  and 
mental,  of  Mexicans  in  that  city.     Another  has 


208  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

shown  special  capacity  for  educating  children  of 
defective  mentality,  and  holds  a  responsible  posi- 
tion in  the  same  city  for  which  she  receives  a  large 
salary.  Still  another,  who  was  teacher  in  the 
Colegio  Chihuahuense,  served  a  long  time  on  the 
Immigration  Committee  of  the  Young  Women's 
Christian  Association,  and  was  a  recognized 
leader  in  woman's  work  in  a  large  Episcopal 
Church  of  the  same  metropolis.  A  fourth  may  be 
named,  now  a  wife  and  mother,  who  finds  time 
to  help  Mexican  young  w^omen  to  feel  at  home  in 
a  strange  land,  because  they  have  found  here  true 
friends  who  understand  them  and  lovingly  show 
them  the  way  to  be  happy  and  useful  members  of 
society. 

For  the  purpose  of  considering  plans  for  cele- 
brating the  Fourth  of  July,  1902,  a  large  number 
of  Americans  assembled  at  the  United  States  Con- 
sulate. After  many  of  those  present  had  set  forth 
their  ideas,  I  ventured  to  suggest  that  we  should 
not  limit  ourselves  to  providing  music  and  fire- 
works on  the  plaza,  as  in  former  years,  but  utilize 
the  occasion  for  teaching  lessons  of  patriotism  to 
the  children  and  youth  belonging  to  our  Colony, 
at  the  same  time  giving  to  the  Mexicans  among 
whom  we  had  established  our  homes,  a  more  ac- 
curate knowledge  of  the  history  and  ideals  of  the 
people  of  our  own  land.  The  thought  met  with 
general  approval;  and  all  felt  sure  that  a  large 
sum  of  money  could  be  raised  without  difficulty 
to  meet  the  considerable   expense  involved.     A 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  209 

committee  of  arrangements  was  appointed  with 
myself  as  chairman;  and  we  were  divided  up  into 
several  subcommittees,  which  worked  together  in 
perfect  harmony  for  the  preparation  of  a  two-fold 
celebration,  to  include  an  elaborate  program  for 
the  morning  of  Independence  Day  at  ten  o'clock, 
and  in  the  evening  the  presentation  to  the  public 
of  the  conventional  music  and  fireworks. 

A  lady  then  residing  in  the  city,  who  was  a  bril- 
liant impersonator  and  teacher  of  elocution,  was 
engaged  to  drill  our  boys  and  girls  for  the  pro- 
duction of  a  sort  of  pageant  which  included  the 
pinging  of  patriotic  hymns  and  of  airs  that  are 
popular  in  both  the  North  and  the  South.  Our 
church  edifice  was  placed  at  her  disposal ;  and  dur- 
ing several  weeks  the  young  folks  to  the  number  of 
sixty  came  regularly  in  the  afternoons  after  school 
to  receive  instruction. 

As  the  time  for  the  celebration  approached,  we 
were  trying  to  arrange  with  the  manager  of  the 
Betancourt  Theater,  where  it  was  expected  to  pre- 
sent the  pageant,  to  let  us  have  the  use  of  it  free 
of  charge  for  final  rehearsals  in  the  daytime,  wlien 
a  Mexican  official,  who  had  shown  himself  a 
true  friend,  accosted  me  on  the  street  to  say  that 
probably  the  governor  would  willingly  lend  us  for 
the  occasion  the  splendid  new  Teatro  de  los  Heroes 
which  had  been  built  at  a  cost  to  the  State  of  a 
half  million  pesos,  if  we  asked  for  it.  At  my  in- 
stance our  Consul  went  with  me  to  make  the  re- 
quest, which  was  granted  at  once  and  most  gra- 


210  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

ciously.  The  governor  further  consented  to  order 
the  Boys  Band  of  the  School  of  Arts  and  Trades 
to  play  at  the  function.  We  sent  out  invitations 
beautifully  printed  with  the  national  colors,  and 
showing  at  the  top  the  American  flag,  to  prominent 
families  belonging  to  all  the  colonies  of  foreigners, 
as  well  as  to  those  of  the  respectable  citizens  in 
general.  The  response  was  most  gratifying;  for 
although  all  kinds  of  business  had  to  take  their 
usual  course  on  that  day,  which  was  not  in  the 
national  calendar,  hundreds  of  Mexican  gentlemen 
came  to  the  entertainment  accompanied  by  their 
ladies,  so  that  all  the  seats  on  the  main  floor  and  in 
the  first  gallery  were  occupied.  Two  of  the  boxes 
were  reserved  for  officials  of  the  government  and 
the  consuls  of  other  nations.  To  everybody  was 
handed  a  printed  sheet  containing  the  words  of  all 
the  songs  that  were  to  be  given,  while  a  note  in- 
vited all  to  join  in  the  singing. 

When  the  curtain  rose,  there  was  disclosed  to 
view  seated  at  the  front  of  the  stage,  (which  is 
fully  as  large  as  that  of  the  Auditorium  Theater 
in  Chicago),  six  or  eight  persons,  among  whom 
were  the  Mayor,  the  American  Consul  and  the 
Chairman  of  the  Committee.  A  brief  and  fitting 
discourse  was  given  by  the  Consul ;  and  the  Chair- 
man read  Lincoln's  Address  at  Gettysburg.  Then 
were  the  chairs  removed;  and  for  the  next  hour 
the  young  people  held  full  sway.  There  was  a 
youth  to  impersonate  Uncle  Sam,  and  a  beautiful 
girl  to  take  the  part  of  Columbia.    All  the  parti- 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  211 

cipants  were  appropriately  dressed;  aiid  they 
went  through  a  variety  of  interesting  evolutions. 
The  closing  number  presented  a  scene  resembling 
a  tableau  all  kneeling  in  the  form  of  a  great  cross, 
with  faces  turned  toward  Columbia,  while  they 
softly  sang  the  hymn  beginning  with  the  words 
''Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee." 

The  curtain  fell ;  but  before  the  spectators  could 
leave  their  seats,  I  ran  up  the  steps  leading  to  the 
footlights  and  arrested  them  with  a  word.  A 
graphic  account  of  the  episode  appeared  in  the 
local  papers  the  next  day  in  both  languages.  Fol- 
lowing is  the  English  version  of  it: 

The  chairman  then  said :  "My  Country  men  and  Conn- 
trywomen,  we  are  assembled  here  to  honor  the  Republic 
of  Washington,  by  the  courtesy  of  the  Mexican  people. 
I  am  sure  that  you  are  eager  to  express  your  apprecia- 
tion of  their  kindness  to  us.  Then  let  us  give  three 
rousing  cheers  of  the  old-fashioned  kind.  A  gentleman 
near  me  says  'I  couldn't  sing,  but  I  can  yell.'  Arc 
you  ready?"  (Many  voices  answer  "Ready";  and  all 
Americans  rise  to  their  feet.)  "Now,  then,  three  cheers 
for  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  which  has  made  such  gigan- 
tic strides  under  the  enlightened  and  patriotic  admin- 
istration of  President  Porfirio  Diaz. ' ' 

There  was  a  tremendous  response  under  the  load  of 
the  speaker  who  from  the  stage  in  front  of  the  curtain 
waved  his  handkerchief  as  a  signal.  Then  he  called  for 
three  more  cheers,  "For  the  City  of  Chihuahua  whose 
generous  hospitality  we  enjoy,  and  Avhose  citizens  have 
honored  us  by  their  presence  on  this  occasion."  These 
also  were  given  with  a  right  good  will. 

But  the  greatest  demonstration  occurred  when 
another  call  was  made  for  three  cheers,  "For  the  Chief 


212  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

Executive  of  this  State,  whose  untiring  devotion  to  the 
public  welfare  has  enabled  us  for  so  long  a  time  to  live 
in  health,  comfort  and  safety, — for  the  promoter  of 
industry,  the  patron  of  education,  the  friend  of  peace 
and  good  government,  Colonel  Don  Miguel  Ahumada, 
Governor  of  the  State  of  Chihuahua." 

It  should  be  explained  that  the  great  enthusiasm 
evoked  by  the  third  call  was  due  to  the  popularity 
of  the  governor  with  Americans,  who  liked  his 
military  promptness  and  directness  of  manner. 
When  to  their  pleas  he  answered  Yes,  they  knew 
that  he  meant  to  keep  his  promise ;  and  when  he 
had  to  say  No,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  that 
word.  Many  of  the  younger  children  of  the  chorus, 
who  were  behind  the  curtain  and  did  not  under- 
stand what  was  taking  place,  were  frightened  by 
the  noise  of  the  cheering,  thinking  perhaps  that 
the  building  was  about  to  fall. 

Many  of  the  dignitaries,  upon  leaving  the  boxes, 
grasped  my  hand  and  expressed  their  feeling  of 
complete  satisfaction  with  the  pageant  they  had 
witnessed.  On  the  street  in  the  afternoon  a  stran- 
ger excused  himself  for  accosting  me,  explaining 
that  he  was  from  Georgia  and  that  he  wished 
to  say  how  pleased  he  had  been  to  take  part  in 
that  cheering.  The  next  day  an  Englishman,  who 
was  a  friend  of  long  standing,  stopped  to  salute 
me  by  the  way,  but  ^vith  a  voice  so  hoarse,  that 
I  expressed  sympathy  with  him  for  having  con- 
tracted the  severe  cold.  He  laughed  at  my  mis- 
take, saying  that  the  damaged  condition  of  his 


MINISTERING  TO  RESIDENT  FOREIGNERS  213 

vocal  cords  was  the  result  of  liis  having  takt-n  too 
energetic  a  part  in  the  cheering  of  the  day  before  I 
General  Hernandez,  commanding  that  military 
zone,  willingly  lent  to  us  one  of  the  two  army 
bands  to  furnish  music  on  the  plaza  in  the  eve- 
ning, in  connection  with  the  finest  display  of  fire- 
works which  our  Colony  had  ever  given.  For 
days  afterward  the  pleased  expression  on  the 
faces  of  individuals,  strangers  to  myself,  whom 
I  met  on  the  street,  some  of  whom  were  ladies, 
presumably  Roman  Catholic,  and  the  bows  that 
were  given  by  several  of  these  last,  showed  plainly 
how  gratifying  to  them  had  been  the  program 
given  in  the  theater ;  and  how  the  whole  affair  had 
increased  their  respect  for  their  "  primos" 
(cousins)  of  the  family  of  ''Tio  Samuel"  (Uncle 
Sam),  and  at  the  same  time  had  softened  the  as- 
perity of  the  remaining  religious  prejudice  felt 
for  an  official  representative  of  Protestantism  in 
that  city. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  ALEXANDER  R.  SHEPHERD 

In  marked  contrast  to  the  trips  described  in  a 
preceding  chapter,  was  the  one  to  Batopilas  in 
the  spring  of  the  year  1901.  Although  the  work 
in  that  mining  town,  both  evangelistic  and  edu- 
cational, was  under  my  care,  I  had  never  visited 
it  in  person,  chiefly  because  of  the  long,  fatiguing 
journey  and  the  expense  connected  with  it.  But 
at  length  a  letter  was  addressed  to  Governor 
Shepherd,  manager  and  principal  owner  of  the 
famous  silver  mines  there,  to  inquire  what  would 
be  the  cost  of  transportation  by  means  of  the 
monthly  conducta  which  carried  in  the  supplies 
needed  by  the  company  and  brought  out  the  bars 
of  silver  bullion.  He  replied  that  they  would  be 
pleased  to  have  me  make  the  round  trip  as  their 

guest.    He  further  stated  that  his  daughter 

was  soon  to  wed  Dr. of  Washington,  D.  C, 

who  was  there;  and  that  they  would  like  to  have 
me  perform  the  marriage  ceremony.  He  added 
that  it  would  be  more  comfortable  for  me  to  stay 
with  his  family  at  the  hacienda ;  but  that  I  should 
be  at  liberty  to  look  after  the  mission  work  down 
town  as  much  as  might  seem  advisable;  and  that 

214 


BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  SHEPHERD    215 

if  it  were  too  long  for  me  to  wait  for  the  next 
conducta,  he  would  send  me  out  by  a  special. 
Nothing  could  have  been  more  generous  and  satis- 
factory in  every  way;  and  the  proffered  courtesy 
was  accepted. 

For  this  occasion  the  conducta  was  put  in 
charge  of  one  of  the  sons  of  the  governor.  The 
others  of  the  party  were:  a  niece  from  Boston, 
who  afterward  became  the  wife  of  a  Harvard 
professor,  a  granddaughter,  the  secretary  of  the 
mining  company  and  his  wife  from  New  York, 
and  several  who  had  been  engaged  to  work  for 
the  company. 

The  first  stage  of  the  journey  was  made  by  the 
Chihuahua  and  Pacific  Railway  to  San  Antonio, 
seventy-five  miles;  thence  in  the  company's  Con- 
cord coach,  drawn  by  six  mules,  fifty  miles  to 
Carichic,  which  was  reached  in  time  for  a  hearty 
supper  and  a  good  rest  Monday  night.  This  re- 
freshment was  provided  in  the  company's  station 
house  which  w^as  built  of  stone  and  contained  three 
rooms.  Along  the  road  were  four  more  station 
houses,  each  of  which  was  furnished  with  a  supply 
of  kitchen  utensils,  all  that  was  needed  for  setting 
the  table  in  the  dining-room,  and  bedding  for  the 
night.  Connected  with  the  stations  were  corrals 
and  stores  of  grain  and  fodder,  it  being  necessary 
of  course  to  change  daily  the  '* mounts"  for  pas- 
sengers and  the  animals  tliat  were  to  carry  packs. 

From  Carichic  to  Batopilas  it  was  a  journcy 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  on  "the 


216  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

hurricane  deck  of  a  mule"  accomplished  by  means 
of  five  jornadas  of  an  average  length  of  thirty-five 
miles  each.  For  much  of  the  way  the  trail  led 
us  up  and  down  the  steep  sides  of  mountain 
ranges,  so  steep  that  in  places  we  followed  a  zig- 
zag path  back  and  forth.  Then  occasionally  there 
would  be  a  level  stretch,  over  which  our  beasts 
would  be  urged  to  a  trot.  That  was  the  hardest 
part  for  a  tenderfoot.  Sometimes  our  trail  fol- 
lowed the  w^indings  of  a  mountain  stream.  For 
miles  upon  miles  we  threaded  dense  forests  of 
pine  timber.  Here  and  there  were  seen  numerous 
single  trees  which  had  been  felled ;  a  phenomenon 
that  was  explained  by  our  conductor  who  said  that 
they  had  been  cut  down  by  Tarahumare  Indians 
when  these  were  hunting  squirrels.  We  passed 
within  sight  of  several  of  their  small  villages ;  and 
occasionally  we  encountered  Indians  near  the 
trail.  Sometimes  the  only  living  being  in  sight 
would  be  a  dog ;  but  a  careful  scrutiny  of  the  im- 
mediate vicinity,  made  as  we  passed  along,  would 
usually  reveal  his  master  lurking  within  a  clump 
of  trees  or  behind  a  huge  rock. 

The  number  of  Tarahumares  scattered  through 
the  mountains  of  Chihuahua  is  variously  esti- 
mated, from  twenty-five  thousand  to  fifty  thou- 
sand. They  are  peaceably  inclined,  not  carrying 
firearms,  only  bows  and  arrows.  They  gain  their 
living  in  part  by  the  chase,  in  part  by  raising  corn 
and  beans  and  a  little  fruit.  They  weave  thick 
warm   blankets   similar   to   those  made   by   the 


i4 


►■ 


Tarahuiiabe  Indians 


BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  SHEPHERD    217 

Navajos  of  Arizona.  In  summer  the  men  wear 
a  loin  cloth,  although  the  women  are  modestly 
dressed  in  garments  of  cotton.  Their  simple 
wants,  as  for  a  little  sugar,  coffee,  rice  and  cloth, 
are  met  by  purchase  in  the  towns.  While  passing 
along  the  trail  we  saw  their  method  of  planting 
corn.  A  solitary  Indian,  standing  in  a  little  patch 
of  ground  and  having  scarcely  any  clothing,  would 
bore  a  hole  in  the  soil  with  the  toes  of  his  right 
foot,  drop  into  it  a  few  grains  of  the  maize,  cover 
them  with  the  foot  and  proceed  a  little  farther 
on  to  make  another  hole. 

A  few  are  able  to  speak  a  little  Spanish,  and 
thus  serve  as  interpreters  for  their  fellow  Indians 
in  dealing  with  the  civil  authorities ;  and  some  of 
the  Mexicans  know^  a  little  of  the  Tarahumare 
tongue.  A  slight  beginning  has  been  made  by  the 
government  in  establishing  schools  for  teaching 
their  children.  Little  parties  of  them  are  often 
seen  on  the  streets  of  Chihuahua  in  the  daytime, 
or  discovered  camping  outside  on  the  ground 
under  one  of  the  stone  arches  of  tlie  aqueduct. 
They  walk  in  Indian  file,  the  women  behind  with 
their  babies  on  their  backs.  They  are  not  loatii 
to  accept  gifts  of  food  and  clothing.  In  one  in- 
stance a  Mexican  gentleman  in  jest  gave  to  one 
of  them  an  old  silk  hat.  The  Indian  gravely  took 
the  present  and  walked  off  with  it  perched  on  his 
black  locks  of  hair.  His  summer  costume  being 
limited  to  the  loin  cloth,  the  combination  was 
extremely  grotesque.     One  day  I  endeavored  to 


218  LITE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

persuade  a  Tarahumare  to  part  with  his  bow  and 
arrows  in  exchange  for  a  sum  of  money;  but  by 
means  of  signs  he  gave  me  to  understand  that 
he  needed  the  weapons  on  the  home  journey,  be- 
cause he  must  eat  by  the  way. 

Four  days  in  succession  we  stopped  at  noon 
for  a  picnic  dinner,  the  abundant  and  varied  ma- 
terials of  which  were  carried  on  one  of  the  pack 
mules  that  was  kept  with  us.  In  some  choice  spot, 
preferably  near  good  water  and  under  the  shade 
of  a  tree,  was  spread  a  white  cloth  to  receive  the 
viands  for  our  refreshment.  Other  pack  mules 
carried  our  luggage  and  the  supplies  for  the  min- 
ing company,  including  provision  for  the  wedding 
banquet,  the  bride's  trousseau  and  even  the 
wedding  ring.  Before  starting  down  any  extra 
long  and  precipitous  descent,  the  Mexican  con- 
ductor would  call  a  halt,  in  order  that  he  might 
pass  along  the  line  and  make  careful  examination 
of  our  saddles  and  tighten  the  girths  wherever 
needed,  as  a  precaution  against  accident.  Occa- 
sionally w^hen  our  trail  lay  along  the  rocky  edge 
of  a  precipice,  where  a  single  misstep  of  the  beast 
might  dash  its  rider  to  sudden  death  many  hun- 
dreds of  feet  below,  the  same  official  would  station 
himself  just  outside  the  narrow  path  and  remain 
there  until  each  one  of  us  had  passed  in  safety 
between  him  and  the  mountain  side  towering 
above  our  heads.  The  divide  was  crossed  at  an 
elevation  of  about  eight  thousand  feet  above  sea 
level. 


BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  SHEPHERD    219 

On  the  last  night  of  our  journey  we  went  to 
bed  early;  for  we  were  to  be  called  at  midiiiglit 
to  partake  of  a  hot  breakfast  and  be  in  our  sad- 
dles at  one  o'clock,  so  as  to  be  able  to  reach  our 
destination  at  the  bottom  of  the  deep  barranca 
before  the  heat  should  become  oppressive.  As  we 
passed  along  the  darkened  trail  under  the  trees 
in  single  file  and  in  almost  complete  silence,  it 
really  seemed  as  if  we  might  be  a  party  of 
stealthy  marauders  plotting  mischief — robbery  or 
violence — against  persons  whom  we  desired  to 
surprise.  Just  before  sunrise  we  came  out  of  the 
woods  upon  an  open  spot  near  the  head  of  the 
descent,  and  halted  to  eat  the  sandwiches  we  car- 
ried in  our  saddle-bags,  while  we  gazed  down  the 
tremendous  barranca  and  off  to  the  dim  horizon 
beyond  the  town  which  for  six  days  had  been  our 
goal. 

Soon  we  started  down,  and  continued  going 
down  with  no  step  up  for  four  hours  in  succes- 
sion; longer  than  it  takes  to  descend  from  the 
rim  of  the  Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona  by  the  Bright 
Angel  Trail  to  the  Colorado  River  five  thousand 
feet  below.  The  ascent  of  that  same  trail,  ten 
days  later,  required  eight  hours  of  toil.  The  last 
station  was  reached  in  time  for  a  late  breakfast ; 
and  there  we  were  met  by  two  grandsons  of  Gov- 
ernor Shepherd,  who  had  ridden  on  their  ponies 
a  distance  of  three  leagues  to  bring  a  snuill  sack 
of  oranges  for  our  refreshment. 

Before  noon  our  cavalcade  was  making  a  clatter 


220  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

over  a  pavement  of  cobblestones,  and  we  rode 
through  huge  iron  gates  which  gave  entrance  to 
the  hacienda.  This  had  an  area  of  many  acres  of 
ground  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  within  which 
were  the  reduction  works  of  the  company  and 
other  buildings,  including  comfortable  residences 
for  the  family  of  the  manager  and  for  those  of 
several  of  his  assistants.  It  was  not  difficult  to 
imagine  ourselves  back  in  the  Middle  Ages,  within 
the  walls  of  a  baronial  castle.  Near  the  entrance 
we  were  most  graciously  received  by  the  ladies 
of  the  castle,  all  of  them  arrayed  in  spotless  white, 
in  striking  contrast  to  the  travel-stained  clothing 
of  the  weary  travelers;  and  there  in  the  shade 
we  were  regaled  with  glasses  of  lemonade  which 
had  been  cooled  by  means  of  lumps  of  snow 
brought  down  from  the  mountains  on  the  backs 
of  peons  who  in  the  winter  time  had  stored  it  in 
caves  for  the  convenience  of  their  employers. 

It  may  be  well  here  to  explain,  for  the  sake  of 
my  children  and  grandchildren,  how  Mr.  Shepherd 
acquired  his  title.  During  the  presidency  of  Gen- 
eral Grant  he  was  made  Governor  of  the  District 
of  Columbia;  and  under  his  administration  were 
effected  the  extensive  improvements  which  lifted 
Washington  out  of  the  condition  of  an  over- 
grown village  into  that  of  a  beautiful  metropolis, 
wdth  adequate  systems  for  the  supply  of  water 
and  the  disposal  of  sewage,  paved  streets  and 
avenues,  and  numerous  parks.  Such  a  trans- 
formation could  be  accomplished  only  at  a  cost 


BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  SHEPHERD    221 

of  millions  of  dollars;  and  there  began  to  circu- 
late rumors  of  dishonesty  in  the  handling  of 
public  funds  which  had  been  appropriated  to  cover 
the  expense.  About  the  same  time  occurred  the 
exposure  of  the  Tweed  Ring  in  New  York,  made 
familiar  to  all  readers  of  "Harper's  Weekly" 
through  the  w^ork  of  the  famous  cartoonist, 
Thomas  Nast.  The  democratic  party  had  been 
made  to  suffer  for  the  misdeeds  of '  *  Boss  Tweed ' ' ; 
and  some  of  the  leaders  of  that  political  faith  were 
active  in  pushing  investigation  of  the  truth  of  the 
charges  of  corrupt  practices  that  were  brought 
against  the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the 
/Federal  District.  For  if  they  could  saddle  the 
republican  party  with  the  incubus  of  a  "Boss 
Shepherd,"  they  would  have  a  better  prospect  of 
being  able  to  weather  the  storm  of  righteous  indig- 
nation that  was  beating  upon  Tammany  Hall. 

The  democratic  senator  from  Ohio,  Allen  G. 
Thurman,  was  chairman  of  the  committee  of  in- 
vestigation which  instituted  the  most  thorough  in- 
quiry into  all  departments  of  the  local  administra- 
tion, calling  for  the  production  of  contracts,  ac- 
count books  and  other  documents  bearing  upon  the 
case,  and  summoning  a  multitude  of  witnesses. 
Governor  Shepherd  himself  told  me  of  the  severe 
grilling  to  which  he  was  subjected  by  the  senator. 
But  there  was  no  proof  of  his  havinjr  been  dis- 
honest, and  the  investigation  came  to  naught.  But 
in  order  to  get  rid  of  "Boss  Shepherd,"  the  Con- 
gress abolished  the  office  of  governor,  and  pro- 


222  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

vided  for  the  appointment  of  three  commissioners 
to  adminster  the  affairs  of  the  Federal  District. 
Of  course  it  was  the  duty  of  the  President  to 
nominate  men  to  fill  those  offices ;  and  the  first  one 
of  the  three  named  by  General  Grant  was  Alex- 
ander R.  Shepherd,  and  his  nomination  was  con- 
firmed. 

But  Governor  Shepherd  had  grown  weary  and 
sick  at  heart  of  the  long  and  bitter  conflict ;  and  he 
sought  rest  in  retirement  and  in  a  change  of  scene 
and  work.  Therefore  he  purchased  the  interest 
of  the  Wells  Fargo  Express  Company  in  the  mines 
of  Batopilas,  which  were  already  famous  for  their 
production  of  native  silver  often  occurring  in 
pockets  of  great  value ;  and  he  made  plans  for  es- 
tablishing his  residence  in  that  remote  corner  of 
the  great  state  of  Chihuahua.  The  General  of  the 
army,  William  T.  Sherman,  urged  him  to  remain 
in  Washington;  but  when  all  arguments  failed  to 
shake  his  purpose,  the  former  said:  ''Then  I'll 
give  you  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  officers  of 
the  army  posts  in  Texas  stationed  along  your 
route  of  travel."  The  gist  of  the  letter,  as  the 
recipient  of  it  told  me,  was  "You  will  treat  Gov- 
ernor Shepherd  as  you  would  treat  me." 

At  that  early  day  it  was  necessary  for  the 
family,  which  included  little  children,  to  travel 
by  stagecoach  for  hundreds  of  miles  along  our 
southern  border,  and  other  hundreds  of  miles 
across  the  Mexican  desert  and  over  mountain 
trails,  in  order  to  reach  their  destination.     For 


BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  SHEPHERD  22:i 

many  years  after  were  stories  told  by  the  drivers 
of  those  coaches  to  their  passengers,  of  the  won- 
derful endurance,  the  patience  and  unfailing 
cheerfulness  of  that  refined  and  beautiful  mother, 
whose  charming  personality  won  the  admiration 
of  the  frontiersmen  who  were  so  fortunate  as  to 
meet  her. 

In  working  the  mines  Governor  Shepherd  drove 
a  tunnel  into  the  mountain  for  a  distance  of  more 
than  a  mile,  giving  to  the  bore  the  name  of  *'Por- 
firio  Diaz."  There  I  saw  his  sons  directing  the 
work,  in  rough  and  soiled  mining  garb;  but  at  the 
close  of  the  day  they  came  to  the  dinner  table 
dressed  with  the  same  care  that  would  have  been 
bestowed  upon  their  toilets,  had  they  been  invited 
to  dine  with  friends  in  Washington.  Under  the 
wisely  inflexible  rule  of  their  mother  they  adhered 
to  this  custom  during  the  j-ears  of  their  stay  under 
the  parental  roof.  Who  can  rightly  estimate  the 
refining  influence  of  such  a  custom  followed  in 
the  remote  Mexican  town? 

In  Mexico  the  only  legal  marriage  is  one  per- 
formed by  an  officer  of  the  civil  government.  Not 
even  the  archbishop  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
in  that  country  has  authority  to  unite  a  man  and  a 
woman  in  the  bonds  of  holy  matrimony,  since  the 
adoption  of  the  Reform  Constitution  of  1857. 
Hence  the  faithful  are  married  twice — once  by  the 
juez  del  registro  civil  and  again  by  the  priest ;  and 
thus  the  church  enjoys  its  revenue  as  of  old.  In 
1882,  and  for  years  thereafter,  the  judge  collected 


224  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

a  fee  of  seven  dollars  from  those  who  came  to  his 
office  to  be  wedded,  while  his  charges  were  multi- 
plied if  he  had  to  go  to  a  private  house.  That 
was  a  heavy  burden  for  the  poor;  but  it  was  a 
trifle  in  comparison  with  the  fees  exacted  by  the 
Church,  the  minimum  in  the  city  of  Chihuahua 
being  eighteen  dollars.  No  wonder  that  the  peon, 
earning  from  twenty-five  to  fifty  cents  per  diem 
and  in  consequence  scantily  clothed  and  meagerly 
fed,  could  not  afford  to  get  married,  but  came  to 
a  private  understanding  with  some  woman  of  his 
class  who  consented  to  live  with  him  as  his  wife. 

As  is  the  general  custom  in  Europe,  and  used 
to  be  in  early  times  in  the  eastern  states  of  our 
owTi  country,  Mexican  law  requires  that  public 
notice  of  intentions  be  given  eighteen  days  be- 
fore a  couple  can  wed.  This  is  a  very  impor- 
tant measure  for  protecting  women  against  the 
schemes  of  designing  men  who  may  be  compara- 
tive strangers.  But  in  cases  where  the  contracting 
parties  are  well  kno^\^l  in  the  community  there 
is  no  need  of  this  precaution;  so  the  governor  is 
authorized  to  let  the  judge  waive  the  formality  of 
a  previous  notice,  or  rather  reduce  the  interval  to 
a  day  or  two.  Naturally  it  is  only  the  influential 
families  that  can  obtain  such  a  favor;  those  of 
humble  social  condition  must  wait  for  the  legal 
interval  to  elapse. 

Since  Governor  Shepherd  was  at  the  head  of  an 
enterprise  which  furnished  the  means  of  subsis- 
tence to  thousands  of  people,  a  majority  of  the  in- 


BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  SHEPHERD  2*25 

habitants  of  the  town,  he  was  a  most  iinpoilant 
personage  there.  Arrangements  had  been  made 
with  the  local  magistrate  to  perform  the  legal  cere- 
mony, near  the  close  of  a  certain  day,  after  ob- 
taining permission  by  wire  from  the  city  of  Clii- 
hualma.  But  in  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the 
household  was  thrown  into  a  state  bordering  on 
consternation  by  the  tidings  that  the  judge  had  not 
been  able  to  obtain  the  necessary  permission  from 
the  capital,  because  Governor  Aliumada  had  gone 
to  El  Paso  to  meet  President  William  McKinley, 
who  was  to  make  a  stop  there  on  his  way  to  Cali- 
fornia ;  and  it  could  not  be  learned  who  was  acting 
in  his  stead  during  the  brief  absence. 

In  the  meantime  the  wires  were  kept  ''hot" 
with  messages  to  the  attorney  of  the  bank  in  Chi- 
huahua through  which  the  business  of  the  com- 
pany was  transacted,  and  to  others  who  might  be 
able  to  get  into  communication  with  tlie  governor. 
After  hours  of  waiting  the  judge  telephoned  that 
matters  at  last  had  been  arranged  and  lie  was 
about  to  start  for  the  hacienda,  accompanied  by 
his  wife  and  two  clerks  of  the  court  as  witnesses. 
When  the  glad  news  was  passed  from  lip  to  lip,  a 
little  granddaughter  of  the  governor  jumjicd  up 
and  dowTi  in  her  chair  in  an  ecstasy  of  joy  ex- 
claiming: "Now  we  can  do  it!" 

The  official  party  arrived  on  horsel)aek  (for 
there  were  no  wheeled  vehicles  in  Batopihis) ;  and 
no  time  was  lost  in  beginning  the  civil  ceremony, 
which  is  quite  elaborate  and  includes  nmch  good 


226  LIFE   UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

advice  to  the  persons  about  to  wed.  Also  the  entry 
in  the  book  of  record  is  extensive,  giving  full 
information  concerning  the  contracting  parties, 
and  mentioning  the  names  of  the  parents  and 
grandparents  on  both  sides.  As  the  clerk  with  pen 
in  hand  was  about  to  complete  the  record,  indica- 
ting the  exact  hour  at  which  the  matrimonial  union 
was  effected,  the  judge  drew  from  his  pocket  a 
heavy  gold  watch  and  remarked :  * '  Son  las  diez  y 
quince  minutos";  that  is  to  say,  *'It  is  ten  o'clock 
and  fifteen  minutes." 

Then  the  wedding  party  rearranged  itself  facing 
in  another  direction;  and  the  minister  began  to 
read  the  Form  for  the  Solemnization  of  Matri- 
mony as  observed  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  The 
change  to  our  mother  tongue  was  most  grateful 
to. all  of  US;  and  the  distinctly  religious  nature  of 
the  service  stirred  the  most  sacred  emotions  of 
our  hearts.  At  the  wedding  banquet  that  followed 
toasts  were  given,  first  by  the  judge,  and  then  by 
the  father  of  the  bride,  the  latter  referring  with 
evident  feeling  to  his  own  marriage  when  the  same 
ritual  w^as  used. 

After  the  banquet,  there  were  brought  to  the 
door  saddled  mules,  each  of  them  adorned  with 
huge  bows  and  long  streamers  of  white  satin  rib- 
bon fastened  to  bridle  and  crupper.  The  bride 
was  helped  to  mount  one  of  them,  and  the  groom 
took  possession  of  the  other ;  and  they  were  given 
a  hearty  send  off,  as  they  began  their  brief  wed- 
ding journey  of  a  few  miles  up  the  mountain  side 


BATOPILAS  AND  GOVERNOR  SHEPHERD  227 

to  a  resort  which  had  been  built  as  a  pUico  of  re- 
treat for  the  family  from  the  heat  of  summer. 
There  accompaiiied  them  an  attendant  on  foot  car- 
rying a  torch  to  light  the  way.  As  they  trotted 
out  through  the  iron  gates  a  brother  of  the  bride 
fired  several  shots  from  his  revolver;  and  almost 
instantly  was  given  a  response  which  we  descried 
at  a  point  thousands  of  feet  above  where  we  stood, 
a  flame  which  rapidly  grew  to  a  great  blaze  as  a 
beacon  to  greet  and  guide  them  who  were  begin- 
ning the  journey  of  life  together. 

After  this  family  event  the  Governor  took 
occasion  to  express  his  appreciation  of  the  kind 
of  work  being  done  by  our  Mexican  preacher  who 
in  a  quiet  and  unpretentious  way  was  presenting 
the  truths  of  the  gospel  and  bringing  about  re- 
formation of  life  in  the  cases  of  many,  with  the  re- 
sult that  members  of  his  congregation  were  given 
the  preference  among  laborers  seeking  employ- 
ment by  the  mining  company.  When  he  was  told 
that  we  were  about  to  invite  that  preacher  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  church  at  the  capital,  because 
funds  were  not  available  to  keep  him  where  he 
was,  my  host  made  energetic  protest  against  re- 
moving from  Batopilas  a  leader  who  had  ac- 
quired so  wide  an  influence  for  good,  and  offered 
to  meet  the  expense  of  sustaining  the  work  there, 
ff  we  would  not  withdraw  the  man.  We  could 
not  decline  to  accept  the  generous  offer  which  ac- 
companied the  valued  testimoy  of  one  so  expe- 
rienced in  business  enterprises.    Not  long  after 


228  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

that  he  entered  into  the  other  life;  but  his  sons 
continued  their  father's  generous  cooperation. 

Fortunately,  some  years  before  this,  Governor 
Shepherd  had  the  great  satisfaction  of  visiting 
Washington,  and  having  tendered  him  a  reception 
by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  when  not  less  than 
seven  thousand  persons  pressed  forward  to  grasp 
the  hand  of  one  who  had  been  so  maligned  and 
persecuted  in  the  past.  In  one  of  the  parks  has 
been  erected  a  statue  of  him  in  enduring  bronze 
as  an  expression  by  the  citizens  of  their  gratitude 
for  the  great  service  he  had  rendered  to  them  and 
to  the  nation  as  a  whole. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

NOTABLE   VISITORS   TO   CHIHUAHUA 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  Mexican  Central 
Railway  there  set  in  a  strong  current  of  tourist 
travel  toward  ''Aztec  Land" — a  country  more 
foreign,  even  oriental,  in  its  aspect  than  anything 
to  be  found  short  of  the  Mediterranean  shores. 
Instead  of  taking  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  one 
could  board  a  vestibuled  train  of  Pulhnan  cars  and 
in  a  few  days  reach  the  old  capital  of  the  Monte- 
zumas ;  and  there  find  on  every  hand,  in  the  homes 
of  the  people,  in  methods  of  agriculture,  in  the 
conduct  of  small  businesses,  in  much  of  the  archi- 
tecture, in  many  of  the  social  customs,  in  the  very 
features  of  the  open  country  and  in  the  climate, 
striking  reminders  of  life  in  Egypt  and  Palestine. 
Indeed,  it  was  often  remarked  by  those  who  had 
visited  the  Holy  Land,  that  they  found  close  re- 
semblances to  that  in  the  country  where  we  were 
then  living.  With  the  reestablishment  in  Mexico 
of  a  stable  government,  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  re- 
vival of  tourist  travel,  in  larger  proportions  tlian 
ever  before,  to  that  extremely  interesting  country. 
Such  a  movement  is  certain  to  promote  and 
strengthen  relations  neighborly  and  friendly  be- 

229 


230  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

tween  the  two  republics  that  ought  to  be  really, 
not  merely  in  name,  ''sisters,"  with  the  larger 
responsibility  for  sympathy,  forbearance  and  true 
helpfulness  resting  upon  the  shoulders  of  the 
older  and  the  stronger  of  the  two. 

First  in  importance  and  interest  to  us  of  course 
were  those  who  came  as  representatives  of  the 
American  Board.  In  the  course  of  the  years 
we  w^ere  privileged  to  welcome  as  visitors,  and  in 
many  cases  as  guests  in  our  home.  Secretaries 
Nathanael  G.  Clark,  James  L.  Barton  and  Charles 
H.  Daniels,  of  Boston,  A.  N.  •  Hitchcock,  of 
Chicago,  and  members  of  the  Prudential  Com- 
mittee in  the  persons  of  Mr.  C.  C.  Burr  and  Dr. 
E.  B.  Webb.  From  the  Woman's  Board  we  had 
Mrs.  Charles  M.  Lamson,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Daniels  of 
Boston,  and  Miss  Susan  Daggett  of  New  Haven. 

There  were  many  other  Congregational  min- 
isters, such  as  A.  E.  Winship,  Dr.  Charles  H. 
Richards,  already  mentioned,  Dr.  Frank  A.  Noble 
of  Chicago,  Dr.  Charles  R.  Bliss  of  the  same  city; 
Dr.  C.  H.  Everest  of  New  Jersey;  Dr.  Edward 
Dwight  Eaton  returning  with  his  wife  from  depu- 
tation work  in  China,  and  Dr.  Francis  E.  Clark, 
the  founder  of  Christian  Endeavor. 

There  were  Bishops  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church:  Eliott  of  Texas,  who  afterward 
sent  to  me  a  copy  of  an  official  periodical  contain- 
ing a  letter  of  his  in  which  he  commended  our 
efforts  in  behalf  of  our  own  countrymen,  and  ad- 
vised against  sending  a  clerg^inan  to  care  for  them ; 


NOTABLE   VISITORS   TO   CHIHUAlirA    2:U 

J.  Mills  Kendrick  of  Arizona,  who  accepted  my  in- 
vitation to  conduct  in  our  house  of  worship  a 
service  in  English,  in  order  to  gratify  the  pre  Ter- 
ences of  some  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  com- 
munion of  his  church;  and  Joseph  H.  Johnson 
of  California. 

There  were  Bishops  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South:  Joseph  S.  Key,  Walter  R.  Lani- 
buth  and  W.  A.  Candler;  and  Secretaries  of  their 
foreign  mission  work,  both  men  and  women. 

At  an  early  day,  while  meetings  were  still  being 
held  in  the  school  room,  we  had  as  our  guest  the 
w^ell  knowm  administrator  of  foreign  missions,  Dr. 
H.  Grattan  Guinness  of  London,  who  preached  by 
means  of  my  interpreting,  and  at  the  close  grasped 
the  hands  of  the  humblest  members  of  the  congre- 
gation with  the  warmth  of  a  loving  brother  in 
Christ.  In  the  year  1890  came  my  parents  for  a 
stay  of  two  months,  in  the  course  of  which  they 
accompanied  me  on  a  missionary  journey  by  rail- 
way train  and  coach  into  the  southern  part  of  the 
state,  eating  and  sleeping  in  the  homes  of  the 
people.  On  another  trip  of  ten  days,  covering  two 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  with  horse  and  buggy  over 
plains  and  through  mountains,  my  father  went 
with  me,  and  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity 
to  speak  to  several  scattered  groups  of  believers. 

There  were  S.  Guy  Inman,  now  active  in  efforts 
for  the  religious  welfare  of  Latin  American 
countries,  Samuel  P.  Craver,  who  was  transferred 
from  Mexico  to  Paraguay,  Eucario  M.  Sein,  who 


232  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

was  in  turn  preacher,  editor  and  national  secre- 
tary of  Sunday-school  work  in  his  native  country 
for  many  years,  Thomas  F.  Wallace,  who  began 
laboring  in  the  United  States  of  Colombia  and 
continued  fruitful  efforts  in  Northern  Mexico, 
Arcadio  Morales,  who  has  been  a  Presbyterian 
pastor  in  Mexico  Citj^  for  more  than  forty  years 
and  has  rendered  important  service  as  evangelist 
in  many  other  places,  W.  Elsworth  Lawson,  who 
came  from  England  to  his  long  pastorate  of  the 
Union  Evangelical  Church  of  Mexico  City,  and 
many  others.  There  were  laymen  like  Wm.  Henry 
Grant  of  New  York,  Bernard  C.  Steiner  of  Balti- 
more, and  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
Secretaries — Clarence  J.  Hicks,  Fred  B.  Shipp, 
George  I.  Babcock  and  William  G.  Coxhead. 

Nearly  all  of  those  whose  names  have  been  given 
in  this  chapter  spoke  from  our  pulpit.  Also,  of 
visiting  women,  besides  those  who  have  been  men- 
tioned, were  Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner  whose  fame 
drew  a  large  assemblage  to  hear  her.  Miss  Lucy 
Tappan  of  Gloucester,  Massachusetts,  who  is  now 
Mrs.  D.  B.  Scott,  and  Mrs.  J.  M.  L.  Woodruff  of 
New  York.  The  last  named,  having  read  the 
monthly  items  of  news  from  my  pen  in  the  depart- 
ment of  missions  in  the  ''Independent,"  wrote  to 
inquire  whether  it  would  be  safe  for  a  lady  without 
escort  to  travel  in  Mexico.  The  tone  of  her  letter 
made  me  think  that  it  would  be  advisable  to  en- 
courage such  a  woman  to  undertake  the  trip.  My 
reply  led  her  to  start  at  once;  and  soon  she  re- 


NOTABLE   VISITORS   TO   CHIHUAHUA    233 

ported  herself  at  our  house,  then  continued  her 
journey  southward.  Weeks  passed  without  bring- 
ing any  tidings  from  her;  and  we  had  begun  to 
feel  rather  solicitous  for  her  welfare,  when  she  ap- 
peared again,  full  of  enthusiasm  over  the  deliglits 
of  her  long  tour  which  had  been  extended  to  re- 
gions beyond  Mexico  City,  seldom  visited  by  or- 
dinary travelers.  She  expressed  gratitude  for  my 
confidence  in  her  ability  to  care  for  herself;  and 
thus  was  begun  an  acquaintance  which  ripened 
into  friendship  for  us  that  lasted  to  the  end  of 
her  life.  She  was  the  widow  of  an  Episcopal 
clergyman ;  and  after  being  left  alone  she  devoted 
herself  to  the  writing  of  books  under  the  nom  de 
plume  of  W.  L.  M.  Jay,  which  were  published  by 
E.  P.  Button  and  Company.  One  of  the  volumes 
she  sent  to  Mrs.  Eaton  was  named  ''In  Green  Pas- 
tures," with  the  subtitle,  "Poems  of  Cheer,  Faith, 
Hope  and  Comfort,"  selected  from  a  wide  range 
of  authorship  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  and 
including  fifteen  to  twenty  of  her  o\vn.  This  vol- 
ume bore  on  its  cover  thickly  clustering  Easter 
lilies,  while  above  them  was  a  soaring  butterfly. 
On  the  fly  leaf  the  author  had  written : 

''Green  be  the  pastures  where  you  go, 
And  stillest  waters  shining  flow ! 
Easter,  1899." 

There  were  a  few  others  whose  visits  seem  to 
require  special  mention.     One  was  that  of  John 


234  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

Wanamaker  who  was  accompanied  by  a  party  of 
relatives  and  friends.  In  the  spring  of  1893,  at  the 
close  of  his  term  of  service  as  Postmaster  General, 
he  made  an  extended  tour  in  a  private  car  through 
Mexico,  in  the  course  of  which  he  was  presented 
to  President  Diaz  and  to  the  governors  of  several 
states.  Friends  of  his  in  El  Paso  were  hoping 
that  he  would  spend  Easter  Sunday  with  them; 
but  he  decided  to  stop  over  in  Chihuahua  for  that 
day;  and  the  result  was  a  most  delightful  surprise 
for  our  Mexican  congregation. 

Soon  after  our  Bible  service  had  begun  at  the 
usual  hour,  there  were  ushered  into  the  rear  seats 
a  dozen  or  more  American  ladies  and  gentlemen. 
At  the  close  of  the  devotional  exercises  I  remarked 
that  I  thought  one  of  the  visitors  was  a  prominent 
Christian  layman,  and  that  he  would  probably 
consent  to  speak  to  us  after  the  study  of  the 
lesson;  then  was  given  the  signal  to  such  of  the 
classes  as  had  to  retire  to  other  departments  for 
a  half  hour.  "Walking  do\\Ti  the  aisle  I  extended 
my  hand  in  hearty  welcome  to  Mr.  Wanamaker, 
who  said  that  he  had  expected  to  find  a  service 
in  English  held  at  this  hour,  but  added:  ''This  is 
all  right;  I  am  enjoying  it."  He  readily  agreed 
to  address  the  assemblage;  and  the  interval  was 
occupied  in  telling  him  about  our  work,  and  in 
pointing  out  to  him  certain  persons  whose  life 
stories  were  of  special  interest  to  a  stranger. 

When  all  had  come  together  again,  I  referred 
to  the  fact  that  they  had  been  told,  months  before, 


NOTABLE   VISITORS   TO   CHIHUAHUA    2,35 

of  the  Postmaster  General  who  at  the  end  of  every 
week  went  from  Washington  to  Phihidelphia  to 
superintend  his  Sunday-school  wliich  enrolled 
more  than  three  thousand  members.  At  that  time 
mj''  story  must  have  seemed  to  them  almost  beyond 
belief,  because  it  was  an  unheard  of  thing  in  their 
country  for  an  official  of  the  government  to  super- 
intend a  Bible  school.  The  visitor  was  invited  to 
come  forward,  and  I  introduced  him  as  that  same 
Postmaster  General.  He  was  well  prepared  by 
his  tour  through  their  country  to  express  himself 
in  courteous  phrase  to  a  courteous  people.  Group- 
ing his  thoughts  under  four  heads,  the  Sabbath, 
the  Sanctuary,  the  Scriptures  and  the  Savior,  each 
one  of  which  in  itself  made  a  special  appeal  to  that 
assembly,  he  dwelt  particularly  upon  the  last.  In 
a  fascinating  way  was  held  up  to  view  the  One 
"altogether  lovely";  and  he  made  a  profound  im- 
pression by  the  address  which  continued  for  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour. 

All  this  time  the  carriages  which  had  brought 
the  party  from  the  railroad  station  were  standing 
at  the  door,  a  most  unusual  sight  for  those  passing 
by.  Some  of  them  came  in  to  discover  the  cause, 
including  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  a  liberal 
newspaper.  There  entered  also  the  state  treas- 
urer, an  official  who  spoke  English  perfectly  and 
had  been  designated  to  serve  as  interpreter  for  the 
distinguished  visitor  when  he  should  be  presented 
to  the  governor.  Some  of  these  visitors  heard 
the   larger   part   of  the   address,   and   all   were 


236  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

listeners  to  the  closing  words,  most  sympathetic 
and  fraternal,  recognizing  the  common  bonds 
which  unite  us  in  one  family  with  God  as  our 
Father  and  Jesus  Christ  as  our  Elder  Brother. 
It  was  a  wonderful  reinforcement  for  our  work, 
to  have  it  kno^\^l  throughout  the  city  that  a  cabinet 
officer  from  Washington  and  his  entire  party  had 
attended  our  service  and  taken  a  leading  part 
in  it. 

Two  years  later  the  evangelists  Dwight  L. 
Moody  and  Ira  D.  Sankey  were  holding  meetings 
in  the  Southland,  and  had  engaged  to  hold  a  con- 
ference with  Christian  workers  of  Mexico  in 
Toluca,  beginning  on  a  certain  day  in  April.  We 
knew  they  would  not  travel  on  the  Lord's  Day,  and 
therefore  would  have  to  stop  over  at  some  point 
on  the  way.  It  occurred  to  me  that  they  might  be 
persuaded  to  choose  our  city  as  the  place.  I  wrote 
to  Mr.  Moody  urging  him  to  spend  the  Sunday 
with  us,  and  requested  him,  if  he  agreed  to  the 
plan,  to  furnish  me  with  a  list  of  ten  or  a  dozen 
hymns  from  which  he  would  be  likely  to  make 
selections  for  use  in  the  services,  in  order  that  a 
small  choir  might  be  formed  to  practice  them  in 
advance  of  his  coming,  and  so  be  able  to  lead 
strongly  in  the  singing  by  the  congregation. 

Mr.  Moody  promised  to  come,  but  added:  ''Do 
not  ask  me  to  speak  through  an  interpreter." 
Copies  of  "Gospel  Hymns"  were  purchased  for 
the  use  of  the  choir,  and  we  printed  hundreds  of 
sheets  containing  the  words  of  the  hymns  for  the 


NOTABLE   VISITORS   TO   CHIHUAHUA    2:^7 

convenience  of  all  others  who  might  attend.  Tliere 
was  a  great  deal  of  advertising  done  in  the  local 
English  newspaper,  and  by  means  of  handbills 
posted  up  in  the  city  and  distributed  through  the 
near  mining  camps.  Some  persons  who  saw  the 
announcements  would  not  believe  that  the  famous 
evangelists  were  really  to  visit  us.  One  American, 
who  evidently  was  not  getting  reliable  news  from 
his  own  country,  declared  positively  that  Mr. 
Sankey  recently  had  died,  and  that  the  whole  thing 
was  a  mistake  or  a  hoax. 

The  two  men  addressed  a  few  meetings  in  El 
Paso,  but  cut  off  one  day  from  their  scheduled 
sojourn  in  the  border  city  when  they  learned  that 
the  one  daily  train,  leaving  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  would  not  arrive  at  Chihuahua  until 
an  hour  after  midnight.  Early  on  Saturday  morn- 
ing we  heard  that  they  were  lodged  in  one  of  our 
hotels;  and  all  three,  (for  Mrs.  Moody  accom- 
panied her  husband)  were  taken  to  our  home. 

On  Sunday  after  breakfast  we  gathered  in  the 
parlor,  and  Mr.  Moody  was  invited  to  conduct  the 
family  worship.  His  reading  of  Scripture  was 
followed  by  Mr.  Sankey 's  singing  to  his  own  ac- 
companiment on  the  piano.  Then  Mr.  Moody  led 
in  prayer,  remembering  the  work  so  near  to  our 
hearts;  and  when  he  sought  divine  guidance  and 
blessing  for  our  son  who  was  away  from  home  at 
school,  we  seemed  to  hear  him  talking  face  to  face 
with  the  Heavenly  Father,  and  we  felt  not  the 
limitations  of  distance  and  time  between  ourselves 


238  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

and  our  boy.  The  gentlemen  were  invited  to  look 
in  upon  the  morning  Bible  service  for  Mexicans; 
and  Mr.  Sankey  said  that  he  would  be  sure  to  go. 
The  latter  was  there  at  the  beginning  and  readily 
consented  to  sing  for  us.  He  gave  a  solo ;  and  then 
proposed  that  all  sing  from  the  Spanish  hymnal 
the  chorus  of  a  composition  of  his  own,  ''When 
the  mists  have  rolled  away,"  after  each  of  the 
stanzas,  which  he  would  sing  in  English. 

During  the  study  of  the  lesson  Mr.  Moody  saun- 
tered in  and  was  conducted  to  the  pulpit  platform, 
whence  he  had  a  good  view  of  what  was  going  on. 
When  all  had  come  together  again  for  the  closing 
exercises,  he  was  assured  we  had  not  forgotten  his 
stipulation  that  he  should  not  be  asked  to  speak 
through  an  interpreter;  but  he  was  told  that  the 
Mexican  brethren  were  much  pleased  when  visi- 
tors from  abroad  showed  a  spirit  of  friendliness, 
and  that  he  w^ould  be  given  opportunity,  if  desired, 
to  say  just  a  word  of  greeting.  He  was  so  de- 
lighted \\dth  their  singing  of  one  of  the  hymns, 
which  was  not  a  translation  from  the  English,  that 
he  said  he  wished  to  have  them  render  the  same 
at  the  meeting  in  the  afternoon.  Then  he  started 
to  say  a  few  words  to  them ;  but  he  could  not  stop, 
their  sympathetic  response  was  so  immediate,  and 
so  evident  in  the  close  attention  they  gave,  and  he 
continued  for  about  a  half  hour. 

Both  afternoon  and  evening  our  auditorium  was 
packed  with  men  and  women,  some  of  whom  had 
not  entered  a  church  edifice  for  years,  eager  to 


NOTABLE   VISITORS   TO   CHIHUAHUA    239 

hear  Moody  and  Sankey.  Before  the  evening  ser- 
vice an  anxious  mother  sent  by  me  a  request  for 
Mr,  Sankey  to  sing  ''Where  is  my  wandering  boy 
to-night  I"  He  replied:  ''That  will  be  as  Mr. 
Moody  says."  The  song  was  sung;  and  not  many 
days  after,  the  mother  learned  that  her  son,  who 
was  a  locomotive  engineer,  had  been  killed  in  an 
accident  somewhere  in  Arizona.  In  the  emergency 
was  his  spirit  able  to  touch  the  mother's  soul  and 
obtain  an  answer  of  love  and  longing  from  her  wlio 
gave  him  birth?  In  giving  his  final  message  to 
the  Americans,  the  evangelist  tried  to  make  tlicin 
realize  the  importance  of  taking  time  to  cultivate 
the  highest  part  of  their  nature;  and  he  urged 
them  to  attend  the  services  in  English  that  were 
regularly  held  in  the  place  where  they  were  as- 
sembled, many  of  them  for  the  first  time.  ' '  Why, ' ' 
said  he,  "not  half  the  churches  in  the  United 
States  have  so  beautiful  a  house  of  worship  as  is 
open  to  you  here." 

As  Mr.  Moody  journeyed  southward,  becoming 
more  fully  acquainted  wdth  the  conditions  in  that 
country,  he  was  profoundly  impressed  with  the 
people's  need  of  the  gospel  and  of  all  which  that 
w^ord  implies,  and  with  the  openings  for  carrying 
to  them  those  blessings;  and  he  exclaimed:  "If 
I  could  speak  Spanish,  I  would  cancel  all  my  en- 
gagements and  give  myself  exclusively  to  Mexico 
for  the  next  five  years." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

INTEKDENOMINATIONAL.  ASSEMBLIES 

The  first  one  of  national  scope  was  held  in 
Mexico  City  in  the  year  1888,  and  was  composed 
not  only  of  American  missionaries  and  Mexican 
preachers  and  teachers  of  all  the  eleven  denomina- 
tions laboring  in  the  country,  Episcopalians  and 
Friends  joining  with  the  others,  but  also  included 
a  few  representatives  of  mission  boards  in  the 
United  States.  Foreigners  and  nationals  were 
mingled  in  delightful  confusion,  and  all  enjoyed 
equal  privileges  on  platform  and  floor.  Mention 
may  be  made  here  of  two  matters  which  aroused 
the  greatest  interest  and  resulted  in  definite  action 
by  the  assemblage.  The  first  was  a  plea  made  by  a 
Mexican  for  the  founding  of  a  college  or  university 
of  high  grade  to  do  for  Mexico  what  Robert 
College  at  Constantinople,  the  Syrian  Protestant 
College  at  Beirut  and  the  Anglo-Chinese  College 
are  doing  for  the  lands  in  which  they  are  located, 
through  the  education  of  selected  young  men  who 
should  exert  a  powerful  influence  in  behalf  of  a 
more  enlightened  religious  faith  and  a  better  so- 
cial order.  A  committee  was  appointed,  consisting 
of  one  missionary  and  one  Mexican  from  each  de- 

240 


INTERDENOMINATIONAL  ASSEMBLIES    241 

nomination,  to  inform  the  wealthy  friends  of  edu- 
cation in  the  United  States  of  the  pressing  need  of 
generous  gifts  to  this  end. 

The  second  was  the  directing  of  attention  to  the 
evils  of  denominational  rivalry,  and  the  adoption 
of  an  agreement  tending  to  diminish  the  unfortu- 
nate effects  of  misguided  zeal.  By  unanimous  vote 
it  was  recommended  that  in  the  case  of  cities  hav- 
ing less  than  fifteen  thousand  population  only  one 
missionary  society  be  allowed  to  occupy  the 
ground;  and  that  where  two  or  more  may  have 
been  established  already,  the  field  should  be  yielded 
to  one  of  them,  due  account  being  taken  of  the  time 
and  money  expended  by  each ;  in  cases  of  difficulty 
the  matter  to  be  referred  to  a  committee  of  arbi- 
tration whose  decisions  by  a  two-thirds  vote 
should  be  final.  ''Occupation"  was  defined  to 
mean  the  organization  of  a  congregation  and  ar- 
rangements for  holding  religious  services  periodi- 
cally; the  suspension  of  such  services  for  one  year 
to  be  regarded  as  abandonment  of  the  field. 

That  was  good  for  a  beginning;  and  it  served 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  great  advance  regis- 
tered at  the  memorable  Conference  of  earnest  men 
and  women  which  was  held  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in 
the  year  1914,  when  it  was  determined  to  effect 
such  a  readjustment  in  the  relations  existing 
among  the  several  Christian  bodies  laboring  in 
Mexico,  as  should  assign  extensive  areas — some  of 
these  embracing  several  states — for  exclusive  oc- 
cupation by  the  respective  denominations ;  and  at 


242  LIFE  UNDER   TWO  FLAGS 

the  same  time  should  provide  for  close  cooperation 
by  them  in  educational  lines  (particularly  in  the 
training  of  men  and  women  for  distinctively  evan- 
gelistic service),  and  in  the  publication  of  religious 
literature. 

In  the  summer  of  1895  was  held  in  the  city  of 
San  Luis  Potosi,  a  convention  of  Sunday-school 
workers.  Among  the  delegates  present  were 
found  representatives  of  seventeen  societies  of 
Christian  Endeavor;  and  there  was  effected  the 
organization  of  a  National  Union,  with  Mrs.  Eaton 
as  General  Secretary.  This  was  a  fitting  selection 
because  she  had  been  so  enterprising  as  to  or- 
ganize in  1890  the  first  society  of  young  people 
in  the  country  to  bear  that  name  and  to  function 
under  a  constitution  which  had  been  translated 
for  the  purpose  from  that  of  the  parent  society. 
To  preserve  in  Spanish  the  English  order  of  the 
letters  "C.  E.,"  she  made  the  name  to  be  ''Cris- 
tiaiios  Energicos,"  (Energetic  Christians)  rather 
than  "Esfuerzo  Cristiano"  which  is  a  literal 
translation  of  Christian  Endeavor;  particularly 
because  some  Mexicans  who  were  consulted 
thought  it  more  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  their 
language  to  translate  the  title  in  that  way,  than 
to  qualify  an  impersonal  noun  by  the  adjective 
''Christian."  However,  the  latter  won  general 
adoption.  Naturally  the  first  general  secretary 
was  obliged  to  conduct  an  extensive  correspon- 
dence with  the  societies  scattered  throughout  the 
country,  in  order  to  bind  them  together  in  closer 


INTERDENOMINATIONAL  ASSEMBLIES    243 

fellowship  and  unify  their  undertakings.  Al- 
though all  this  added  greatly  to  the  weight  of  re- 
sponsibilities she  was  already  carrying  in  our  own 
mission,  she  accepted  election  for  a  second  term. 

The  first  convention  was  held  in  1896  in  the  city 
of  Zacatecas,  some  of  the  delegates  having  trav- 
eled afoot  or  on  horseback  for  hundreds  of  miles 
to  reach  the  place  of  meeting.  Numerous  banners 
were  carried  there,  and  many  of  the  assembly 
wore  the  society 's  emblem.  The  addresses  and  the 
topics  for  discussion  were  all  appropriate  to  the 
occasion;  and  Dr.  Francis  E.  Clark  pronounced  it 
to  be  a  genuine  Christian  Endeavor  Convention. 
In  a  large  photograph  of  the  assembled  delegates, 
with  their  banners  furnishing  a  background,  the 
beloved  Founder  is  seen  in  the  center  of  the  fore- 
ground, having  Mrs.  Clark  at  his  left  and  Mrs. 
Eaton  next. 

In  1899  I  was  elected  president  of  the  Union, 
and  the  following  year  was  privileged  to  represent 
Mexico  at  the  World  Convention  in  London.  The 
North  German  Lloyd  steamship  Saale,  wliich  liad 
been  chartered  to  transport  hundreds  of  delegates, 
was  to  sail  on  a  Monday  from  Boston  for  South- 
ampton. But  on  Saturday  night  before  she  left 
her  berth  at  Hoboken,  she  was  destroyed  by  a  lire 
which  burned  to  death  a  number  of  her  crew ;  so 
that  the  farewell  rally  held  on  Sunday  niglit  in 
Tremont  Temple,  which  was  to  have  been  an  occa- 
sion of  good  cheer  and  happy  anticipation,  was 
made  somber  by  reason  of  the  tragedy  and  the  re- 


244  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

suiting  uncertainty  as  to  means  of  transportation 
for  those  who  had  been  booked  to  sail  on  the  ill- 
fated  vessel.  The  offer  was  made  to  refund  the 
passage  money  of  all  who  had  paid  their  fare  to 
London  and  return,  and  to  all  who  had  arranged 
to  make  tours  on  the  continent  of  Europe;  with 
the  alternative  of  sailing  on  a  slower  cattle  ship 
bound  for  Liverpool.  This  might  not  get  them  to 
London  in  time  for  the  convention;  but  it  would 
enable  them  to  carry  out  plans  for  the  respective 
tours,  and  they  were  promised  the  companionship 
of  Treasurer  William  Shaw. 

When  different  persons  were  called  upon  to  give 
their  names  and  places  of  residence,  I  introduced 
myself  as  ''the  husband  of  the  first  general  sec- 
retary of  the  Mexican  Union."  Mr.  Shaw  was 
in  the  chair,  and  he  instantly  responded:  ''Eaton 
will  go  to  London,  if  we  have  to  send  him  on  top  of 
the  mast ! "  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  he  invited 
me  to  call  at  his  office  in  the  morning.  There  I 
expressed  willingness  to  sleep  on  the  floor  of  the 
saloon  or  anywhere  else  on  board  of  the  steamship 
Trave  which  was  to  sail  a  few  days  later  from  New 
York  under  charter  by  the  Pennsylvania  Endeav- 
orers,  explaining  that  such  meager  accommoda- 
tions would  not  involve  great  hardship  for  one 
who  had  wrapped  himself  in  blankets  to  sleep  on 
a  cowhide  or  a  thin  mattress  laid  upon  boards. 
But  Mr.  Shaw  replied:  "I  think  we  can  do  better 
than  that  for  you.  Have  you  any  color  preju- 
dice ? "    "  None  in  particular,  after  living  for  many 


INTERDENOMINATIONAL  ASSEMBLIES    245 

years  among  folks  of  all  shades  of  color. "  "  Well, 
I  am  going  to  take  over  in  my  stateroom  Bishop 
(naming  a  colored  clergyman  of  promi- 
nence) ;  and  you  may  take,  if  you  will.  Professor 
of  Livingstone  University  in  North  Caro- 
lina." 

A  few  hours  later,  some  fifty  of  us,  including  a 
number  who  were  scheduled  to  speak  at  the  con- 
vention in  London,  in  a  special  coach  left  the  sta- 
tion for  New  York.  On  the  train  was  passed 
around  a  paper  which  indicated  our  reservations 
aboard  the  Trave;  and  then  was  it  learned  that 
two  others  were  to  be  my  companions  in  a  double 
stateroom,  viz..  Rev.  Tasuku  Harada  of  Kobe  rep- 
resenting the  Endeavorers  of  Japan  and  later  to 
become  president  of  the  Doshisha,  and  William 
Patterson,  D.D.,  who  had  lately  come  from  Toronto 
to  be  the  pastor  of  Bethany  Presbyterian  Church, 
Philadelphia.  The  two  lower  berths  were  assigned 
to  the  Japanese  and  the  Afro-American.  The 
first  night  out  at  sea  Dr.  "Billy"  Patterson,  of 
the  warm  Irish  heart,  was  the  last  to  come  down 
from  the  deck.  As  he  seated  himself  on  a  stool 
to  remove  his  shoes,  he  remarked:  "This  is  inter- 
esting, to  find  one's  self  between  Africa  on  the  one 
hand  and  Japan  on  the  other,  and  Mexico  not  far 
ofei" 

Every  morning  during  the  voyage,  except  t)n 
Sunday,  there  was  given  in  the  main  sah)on  an 
address  by  some  one  of  the  passengers;  and  three 
of  the  six  were  furnished  by  our  quartet,   the 


246  LIFE    UNDER    TWO    FLAGS 

subjects  being  Ireland,  Japan  and  Mexico.  Our 
quarters  came  to  be  spoken  of  familiarly  as  "the 
stateroom  of  the  four  nationalities,"  One  day 
on  deck  a  lady  accosted  me  with  the  words,  ''Ex- 
cuse me.  Sir,  are  you  a  Mexican?"  My  reply 
was;  "No,  Madam,  but  my  daughter  is."  Then 
I  explained  that  she  was  born  under  the  flag  of 
that  country  and  always  counted  herself  a  Mexi- 
can. 

A  prime  favorite  with  all  was  the  Rev.  Maltbie 
D.  Babeock,  D.  D.  of  the  Brick  Presbyterian 
Church  of  New  York,  who  preached  on  Sun- 
day, lectured  one  day  on  "What  is  Best  Worth 
Seeing  in  Paris,"  sang  at  the  concert  which  was 
given  one  evening  for  the  benefit  of  the  families 
of  the  men  who  perished  when  the  Saale  was 
burned,  played  the  piano  to  accompany  our  singing 
in  the  prayer  meetings,  and  was  always  ready  to 
show  kindness  to  any  whom  he  might  help.  Highly 
prized  is  a  letter  which  he  wrote  me  some  months 
later;  and  when,  in  the  following  year  upon  his 
return  from  the  Holy  Land,  he  was  stricken  down 
with  the  Mediterranean  fever  and  died  in  a  hospi- 
tal in  Naples,  I  felt  personally  bereaved  in  the  loss 
of  a  dear  friend. 

The  hall  of  Alexandra  Palace  in  London  had 
sittings  for  fifteen  thousand  persons,  including  the 
chorus  of  two  thousand.  Li  order  that  as  many 
as  possible  might  hear  what  was  said,  the 
speakers'  stand  was  carried  far  out  toward  the 
center  of  the  vast  auditorium,  and  was  reached  by 


INTERDENOMINATIONAL  ASSEMBLIES    247 

a  narrow  bridge  railed  in  on  both  sides.  Among  tlie 
elaborate  decorations  were  seen  the  flags  of  almost 
all  nations;  but  that  of  Mexico  did  not  appear. 
However,  to  provide  for  such  a  contingency,  I  had 
carried  one  with  me  from  Chihuahua,  and  then  lield 
it  in  a  roll  under  my  arm.  At  the  close  of  the  first 
morning  session  the  attention  of  the  head  steward 
was  called  to  the  lack,  and  to  the  means  at  hand  for 
supplying  it.  He  was  grateful  for  this,  and  looked 
about  for  a  suitable  place  in  Avhicli  to  hold  it  up  to 
view.  Finally  he  suggested  the  front  of  the 
speakers'  stand.  Nothing  could  have  pleased  me 
more;  but  how  to  fasten  the  flag  to  the  single  iron 
pipe  which  served  for  a  railing  was  the  problem. 
Neither  of  us  possessed  a  bit  of  twine ;  but  I  made 
bold  to  accost  a  lady,  explain  our  predicament 
and  beg  the  favor  of  one  or  two  pins.  Most  gra- 
ciously were  they  produced.  Two  or  three  others 
of  the  fair  sex  were  waylaid  with  a  similar  plea, 
until  we  had  a  sufficient  supply  of  the  indispen- 
sable pins;  and  Mexico's  eagle,  which  had  been 
painted  by  hand  on  a  background  of  white  flanked 
by  the  green  and  the  red,  faced  the  vast  assembly 
at  the  afternoon  session.  Thus  did  the  last  be- 
come first. 

At  that  time  the  whole  civilized  world,  outside 
of  China,  was  waiting  in  suspense  for  news  of  the 
fate  which  might  have  befallen  the  foreigners  who 
were  besieged  by  the  Boxers  on  the  grounds  of  the 
American  Legation  in  Peking.  Therefore,  when 
President  Clark  called  upon  a  veteran  mission- 


248  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

ary  from  China  to  lead  us  in  a  prayer  of  inter- 
cession for  the  beleaguered  company  on  the  other 
side  of  the  globe,  there  fell  a  deep  hush  upon  all 
present,  who  seemed  scarcely  to  breathe  as  they 
listened  to  the  fervent  petitions  of  the  white- 
haired  man  whose  heart  was  so  profoundly  moved. 

Also  was  the  Boer  War  then  in  progress;  and 
the  division  of  sentiment  in  England  itself  over 
that  deplorable  conflict  (which  did  not  end  until 
there  had  been  dispatched  to  Cape  Colony  a  total 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men,  or  ten  for 
every  one  of  the  Boers  bearing  arms),  was  plainly 
shown  on  the  evening  of  the  roll  call.  For  when 
Dr.  Clark  mentioned  ''South  Africa"  and  a  score 
or  two  of  delegates  rose  to  their  feet,  they  were 
greeted  with  a  storm  of  applause. 

There  had  been  assigned  to  me  as  correspondent 
for  our  mission  paper,  "El  Testigo,"  a  seat  at  the 
reporters'  table  immediately  in  front  of  the 
speakers.  My  nearest  neighbor  was  a  French  pas- 
tor, son  of  Merle  d'Aubigne  who  wrote  the  "His- 
tory of  the  Reformation."  When  Mexico  was 
called,  he  courteously  assisted  me  to  climb  from 
my  chair  to  the  table,  from  which  vantage  ground 
I  gave  an  English  translation  of  the  cablegram 
which  had  been  sent  on  my  arrival  in  London  to 
the  National  Christian  Endeavor  Convention  then 
in  session  in  Mexico  City,  as  follows:  "Proverbs 
XXV,  25,  (As  cold  water  to  a  thirsty  soul,  so  is 
good  news  from  a  far  country).  Fifteen  thousand 
Endeavorers  salute  you.     I  Corinthians  XV,  57 


INTERDENOMINATIONAL  ASSEMBLIES    249 

and  58."  After  a  brief  mention  of  two  or  tliree 
characteristics  of  such  gatherings  in  Mexico,  I 
read  the  cabled  response  to  my  message  whicli  liad 
been  sent  by  a  Mexican  pastor  who  was  elected  my 
successor  in  the  presidency. 

Returning  to  my  hotel  that  evening,  there  was 
found  a  note  from  William  T.  Stead,  editor  of  the 
British  '* Review  of  Reviews,"  who  had  called  in 
person  to  invite  me  to  be  one  of  a  number  of 
guests  from  abroad  who  the  next  day  were  to  go 
on  a  steamboat  excursion  up  the  Thames  and  visit 
Windsor  Castle  where  Queen  Victoria  would  allow 
herself  to  be  seen.  At  almost  the  same  time  was 
received  notice  of  the  expected  arrival  from  Liver- 
pool on  that  very  day  of  the  Endeavorers  who  had 
sailed  from  Boston  on  the  cattle  ship,  and  of  their 
immediate  departure  for  the  continent  of  Europe, 
on  the  several  tours  for  which  delegates  had  been 
booked ;  consequently  it  was  impossible  for  me  to 
accept  Mr.  Stead's  alluring  invitation.  The  fol- 
lowing summer,  when  Mexico's  Endeavorers  as- 
sembled in  the  city  of  Puebla,  there  was  given  me 
a  chance  to  tell  the  story  of  the  World  Convention. 
The  episode  of  the  flag  displayed  in  Alexandra 
Palace  aroused  great  enthusiasm ;  and  many  of  the 
proud  and  happy  Mexicans  pressed  forward  to 
give  me  a  close  embrace. 

By  this  time  the  scope  of  the  national  gatherings 
had  greatly  broadened.  For  the  Methodists  and 
the  Baptists  had  followed  the  example  of  tlie  Phi- 
deavorers  in  holding  yearly  meetings  respectively 


250  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

of  the  Epwortli  Leagues  and  the  Young  Peoples' 
Associations;  and  soon  there  was  formed  a  Fed- 
eration of  all  these,  togetlier  with  the  Sunday- 
school  Association.  The  federated  bodies  were  ac- 
customed to  hold  a  National  Convention  every 
summer,  up  to  the  time  of  the  overthrow  of  the 
Diaz  regime.  On  one  day,  as  provided  for  in  the 
general  program,  simultaneous  meetings  were 
held  by  the  respective  organizations  for  the  trans- 
action of  necessarv  business  and  the  discussion  of 
subjects  closely  related  to  the  objects  for  which 
they  had  been  formed.  For  all  the  rest  of  the 
time  the  hundreds  of  delegates,  representing  the 
special  interests,  sang  and  prayed  and  discussed 
problems  together,  sent  a  respectful  salutation  to 
the  chief  magistrate  of  the  city  where  they  were 
assembled,  whether  that  official  happened  to  be 
mayor  or  governor,  and  received  from  him  in- 
variably a  prompt  and  courteous  reply  in  writing, 
often  accompanied  by  good  wishes  for  success  in 
the  attainment  of  our  worthy  objects  as  they  had 
been  briefly  explained  by  the  men  who  were  se- 
lected to  serve  as  messengers  to  that  official. 

There  is  good  ground  for  believing  that  those 
conventions,  which  were  attended  during  a  series 
of  years  by  delegates  from  nearly  all  the  states 
of  the  Republic,  prepared  the  way  for  holding 
general  gatherings  of  men  who  wished  to  discuss 
subjects  of  a  different  character,  especially  such 
as  concerned  the  social  and  political  welfare  of  the 
nation.     Certain  repressive  measures  which  had 


INTERDENOMINATIONAL  ASSEMBLIES    251 

been  adopted  by  the  Federal  Govenimi'nt,  at  first 
for  establishing  and  preserving  public  order  and 
tranquillity,  tended  to  make  men  of  vision  and  of 
patriotic  impulses  rather  timid  about  getting  to- 
gether in  public  fashion,  lest  they  might  be  em- 
barrassed by  the  attitude  of  officials  who  did  not 
understand  their  aims,  or,  if  they  did,  were  not  in 
sympathy  with  them.  But  the  periodical  assem- 
bling of  representatives  of  the  small  Protestant 
minority — who  were  regarded  by  a  large  part  of 
the  citizens  with  feelings  of  aversion,  if  not  of 
positive  hostility— without  suffering  any  physical 
inconvenience,  gradually  accustomed  the  public  to 
the  sight  of  such  gatherings ;  and  there  was  awak- 
ened a  greater  feeling  of  confidence  in  the  minds 
of  those  who  sought  opportunity  to  confer  in  na- 
tional assembly  with  others  possessing  similar 
ideals,  but  whose  homes  in  many  instances  were 
far  removed  from  the  capital. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

POLITICAL  UPHEAVALS 

It  is  pleasant  to  recall  our  first  sight  of  the  man 
who  afterward  became  so  famous  as  the  ruler  of 
Mexico  for  almost  a  generation,  and  who  in  the 
course  of  the  years  received  medals  and  decora- 
tions from  most  of  the  governments  of  Europe. 
It  was  in  the  spring  of  1885  that  our  little  family, 
through  the  kindness  of  a  friend  in  Chicago,  was 
able  to  make  a  prolonged  visit  to  Mexico  City.  On 
the  way  there,  w^hich  is  a  journey  of  one  thousand 
miles,  we  stopped  over  in  several  cities,  thus  be- 
coming acquainted  with  various  branches  of  in- 
dustry in  the  country,  particularly  mining.  But 
we  were  especially  interested  in  two  memorials 
of  its  past  history. 

In  Guanajuato  we  visited  the  old  Spanish  fort- 
ress, now  a  penitentiary,  upon  whose  outer  wall 
was  hung  an  iron  cage  containing  the  head  of  the 
venerable  leader  in  the  War  for  Independence, 
Don  Miguel  Hidalgo,  after  he  had  been  executed  at 
Chihuahua  in  July,  1811.  In  Queretaro  w^e  studied 
the  museum  which  preserves  significant  souvenirs 
of  the  beginning  of  that  revolution ;  and  visited  the 
"Hill  of  the  Bells"  where  were  executed  the  Em- 

252 


POLITICAL  UPHEAVALS  253 

peror  Maximilian  and  his  Generals,  Miramon  and 
Mejia.  Upon  the  elevation  stands  a  memorial 
chapel  which  was  erected  by  the  Austrian  govern- 
ment over  the  graves  of  the  three  ill-fated  leaders, 
upon  a  plot  of  ground  which  was  ceded  for  the 
purpose,  at  the  request  of  General  Diaz,  by  a 
wealthy  hacendado  who  himself  opened  the  build- 
ing for  us  and  showed  the  objects  which  it  con- 
tains. 

To  describe  the  attractions  of  Mexico  City  and 
its  fascinating  suburbs — the  palaces,  the  cathe- 
dral and  other  ancient  church  edifices,  the  museum 
of  antiquities,  the  campo  santo  of  San  Fernando 
where  repose  the  ashes  of  some  of  the  nation's 
greatest  leaders  in  the  past,  the  sacred  hill  and 
shrine  of  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupe,  Chapultepec, 
the  floating  gardens,  and  scores  of  other  objects 
of  interest  in  the  marvelous  Valley  of  Mexico 
which  is  everywhere  dominated  by  the  famous  vol- 
canoes— would  be  to  repeat  what  may  be  found 
in  any  good  guidebook. 

But  there  was  one  experience  whicli  deserves 
mention  here.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  pres- 
ent at  the  opening  of  the  Federal  Congress,  April 
1,  when  both  houses  met  together  in  an  old  theater 
on  Cinco  de  Mayo  street  to  receive  the  message  of 
President  Diaz.  He  made  an  imposing  figure, 
seated  in  a  stately  chair  and  wearing  across  his 
breast  a  broad  band  of  the  national  tricolor,  green, 
white  and  red.  He  read  his  message  from  manu- 
script, then  rose  from  his  seat  and  left  the  stage, 


254  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

accompanied  by  high  dignitaries  of  state.  Imme- 
diately I  left  my  own  seat,  which  was  in  the  front 
row  of  the  gallerj^  (there  being  no  other  American 
present,  so  far  as  appeared),  and  hastened  down- 
stairs to  the  hallway  along  which  he  would  have 
to  pass  in  order  to  reach  the  lobby.  No  one  for- 
bidding, there  I  stationed  myself ;  and  in  a  moment 
more  the  President  and  his  party  passed  within 
a  few  feet  of  me,  affording  a  fine  opportunity  for 
making  a  rapid  survey  of  the  man  who  was  evi- 
dently a  soldier  and  a  leader. 

But  for  the  young  missionaries  the  most  inter- 
esting experience  was  that  of  making  the  acquain- 
tance of  some  of  the  leaders  in  the  evangelistic 
and  educational  work  for  the  Mexican  people. 
In  Gante  Street  we  inspected  the  splendid  property 
of  the  Methodists,  which  once  formed  part  of  the 
monastery  of  the  Dominican  friars  but,  after  it 
had  been  confiscated  by  the  liberal  government, 
was  acquired  through  the  efforts  of  Dr.  William 
Butler.  In  their  spacious  auditorium  we  heard 
a  sermon  by  an  eloquent  Mexican  minister ;  and  in 
a  smaller  hall  of  the  same  building  I  preached 
for  the  Reverend  John  W.  Butler  to  his  English- 
speaking  congregation.  We  dined  with  Dr.  J. 
Milton  Greene,  founder  of  the  Presbyterian  peri- 
odical ''El  Faro,"  who  afterward  labored  for 
many  years  in  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico.  At  his  table 
we  met  the  Reverend  Hubert  W.  Bro^\Ti  who  had 
recently  finished  his  studies  at  Princeton  and  had 
come  to  assist  Dr.  Greene  in  preparing  young  men 


POLITICAL  UPHEAVALS  255 

for  the  gospel  ministry.  At  another  time  we  were 
introduced  to  a  Mexican  elder  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  who  was  caught  in  a  massacre  of  Protes- 
tants some  years  before,  when  Roman  Catholic 
fanatics  stormed  the  chapel  where  they  were  as- 
sembled for  worship.  He  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
escape  with  his  life,  although  seriously  wounded; 
and  it  was  a  thrilling  moment  for  me  when  he  ex- 
tended what  was  left  of  his  right  hand,  and  let 
me  hold  in  mine  the  maimed  member  whicli  spoke 
so  eloquently  of  what  he  had  suffered  for  the  sake 
of  the  gospel. 

In  the  year  1909,  when  it  was  arranged  for  the 
presidents  of  the  sister  republics  to  meet  on  the 
border  betw^een  the  two  countries,  elaborate  prep- 
arations w^ere  made  to  do  honor  to  General  Diaz 
in  the  city  of  Chihuahua  which  he  was  to  visit  for 
the  first  time  since  he  became  president  in  the 
spring  of  1877.  Triumphal  arches  were  erected  at 
intervals  along  Juarez  Avenue  from  the  railway 
station  to  the  central  plaza,  and  through  and  be- 
yond the  city  almost  to  the  head  of  the  aqueduct, 
a  distance  of  perhaps  two  miles.  For  two  days  he 
w^as  the  guest  of  our  governor,  and  the  recipient 
of  many  attentions  in  public.  The  most  notable  of 
these  was  a  fete  given  in  the  theater,  to  which  we 
had  tickets  of  admission  through  the  courtesy  of 
the  American  Consul  As  one  of  the  numbers  on  the 
program,  a  child  recited  very  prettily  an  address 
of  welcome  to  the  distinguished  visitor,  wlio  then 
called  the  boy  to  his  private  box  and  greeted  liini 


256  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

in  an  affectionate  manner  to  show  appreciation 
of  the  little  speech  to  which  all  of  us  had  listened 
with  delight. 

The  Yale  men  of  El  Paso  and  vicinity  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  coming  of  President  Taft  to  do 
honor  to  their  fellow  alumnus,  and  in  that  connec- 
tion to  organize  the  Yale  Alumni  Association  of 
the  Southwest.  The  young  man  who  was  most 
active  in  the  movement  invited  me  to  meet  with 
them,  not  so  much  on  account  of  my  having  pur- 
sued a  brief  course  of  postgraduate  study  in  New 
Haven,  as  because  of  our  family  connection  with 
the  university,  the  father  and  two  brothers  on 
each  side  of  the  house  having  been  identified  with 
the  same  institution. 

Five  thousand  men  of  the  regular  army,  rep- 
resenting all  branches  of  the  service,  marched 
through  the  streets  of  the  city;  and  in  the  civic 
procession  the  Yale  men  were  transported  in  sev- 
eral automobiles,  at  frequent  intervals  singing 
songs  or  startling  the  throngs  along  the  way  by 
their  yells.  Through  Captain  Archie  Butts,  who 
afterward  perished  on  the  Titanic,  it  was  arranged 
for  us  to  be  received  by  the  President  in  his  suite 
of  rooms  at  the  hotel  in  the  late  afternoon,  just 
before  he  was  to  be  driven  across  the  river  to 
Juarez  where  a  banquet  was  to  be  given  him  by 
General  Diaz.  As  we  were  introduced  one  by  one 
to  the  President,  he  received  us  with  the  utmost 
cordiality  and  had  pleasant  words  for  all.  When 
he  was  informed  that  he  had  been  elected  that  very 


POLITICAL  UPHEAVALS  257 

afternoon  "an  honorary  charter  member  of  Ww. 
Yale  Alumni  Association  of  the  Southwest,"  he 
threw  up  his  hands  with  the  exclamation,  **I  ac- 
cept*'; which  was  referred  to  afterward  by  one  of 
the  men  as  ''probably  the  shortest  speech  of  ac- 
ceptance on  record." 

In  September,  1910,  was  celebrated  with  elab- 
orate ceremonial  and  lavish  display  and  expendi- 
ture, the  one-hundredth  anniversary  of  the  begin- 
ning of  Mexico's  struggle  for  independence;  fes- 
tivities being  held  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  At 
the  capital  they  continued  during  an  entire  month ; 
and  almost  every  day  President  Diaz  had  to  pre- 
side at  some  special  function  connected  with  the 
centenary.  In  Chilmahua  the  celebration  lasted 
for  a  week.  It  included  the  planting  of  a  memorial 
tree  in  front  of  our  house  on  Independence  Ave- 
nue, which  adjoined  Trinity  Church  and  was  near 
the  entrance  to  a  little  park  which  had  been 
opened  by  the  municipality  a  few  years  before. 
The  sky  was  overcast  that  morning;  and  at  the 
hour  named  for  the  ceremony  a  gentle  rain  began 
to  fall,  causing  discomfort  to  such  as  had  not 
brought  their  umbrellas,  and  some  damage  to  silk 
hats  and  fine  clothes.  Just  then  came  a  messenger 
to  our  door  with  the  courteous  inquiry  wliethcr 
it  would  be  possible  to  have  the  doors  of  the  church 
opened,  in  order  that  the  table  with  writing  mate- 
rials, which  had  been  provided  for  appending  sig- 
natures to  a  document  that  was  to  be  preserved 
in  the  archives  of  the  government  in  commemora- 


258  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

tioii  of  the  event,  rniglit  find  slielter  within.  It  may 
be  imagined  perhaps  with  what  joy  I  responded  to 
the  request,  sending  the  janitor  to  unlock  the  iron 
gates  and  swing  wide  the  doors,  revealing  the 
beautiful  interior  of  the  main  auditorium  with  its 
stained  glass  windows.  Although  our  templo  had 
stood  there  for  eighteen  years,  some  of  the  per- 
sons who  sought  shelter  under  its  roof  that  day 
had  never  before  crossed  its  threshold,  because  of 
religious  prejudice  in  that  predominantly  Roman 
Catholic  country. 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  centemiial  cele- 
bration had  been  heard  low  mutterings  of  discon- 
tent with  the  political  situation,  resulting  from  the 
long  continued  control  of  national  affairs,  and 
those  of  the  several  states  as  well,  by  one  man  and 
the  comparatively  few  leaders  closely  associated 
with  him.  Occasionally  was  raised  the  question, 
not  only  within  but  also  without  the  country, 
''After  Diaz,  What?"  We  knew  that  in  the 
county  to\\Ti  of  Ciudad  Guerrero,  nestling  at  the 
foot  of  the  Sierra  Madre  Mountains  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  miles  to  the  west  of  Chihuahua, 
there  had  been  held  on  Sunday  afternoons  for 
some  months  past,  meetings  of  citizens  for  the 
study  of  civic  questions.  One  of  the  members  of 
our  church  there,  an  intelligent  gentleman  of  good 
family,  came  to  the  capital  on  business  and  called 
at  my  study  to  talk  over  the  situation,  during  that 
memorable  month  of  festivities.  Early  in  the  in- 
terview he  showed  some  agitation  of  manner ;  and 


iPOLITICAL  UPHEAVALS  250 

at  length  in  a  tone  which  indicated  deep  feeling 
remarked,  to  my  great  surprise:  "Why,  here  in 
Mexico  we  have  not  as  much  liberty  as  do  those 
who  live  in  Turkey.  Yet,  I  do  not  want  to  shoulder 
a  rifle  and  go  out  to  kill  people.  Do  you  not 
think  that  we  might  get  the  United  States  govern- 
ment to  send  officials  here  to  supervise  our  elec- 
tions, as  was  done  by  it  in  Cuba,  and  see  that  the 
ballots  we  cast  are  counted  honestly,  in  order  that 
men  who  receive  the  majority  of  votes  may  be 
allowed  to  occupy  the  positions  which  they  have 
been  chosen  to  fill?"  Of  course  my  reply  had  to 
be  in  the  negative ;  for,  it  was  explained  to  him,  the 
government  of  my  country  could  not  take  such  a 
step  without  an  invitation  to  do  so  coming  from 
the  Mexican  government  to  which  our  ambassador 
had  been  accredited;  and  evidently  the  administra- 
tion of  General  Diaz  would  not  for  one  moment 
entertain  such  an  idea.  So  he  went  away  sorrow- 
ful. 

In  many  towns  there  had  been  formed  anti-re- 
election clubs  to  promote  the  candidacy  of  Fran- 
cisco Madero  for  the  presidency.  Even  women, 
who  cannot  vote  in  Mexico,  took  part  in  this  move- 
ment, and  they  organized  a  large  club  of  their  own 
in  the  city  of  Chihuahua.  They  asked  one  of  the 
members  of  our  church  to  preside  over  their  de- 
liberations; but  she  expressed  reluctance  to  ac- 
cept the  office.  When  they  continued  to  urge  it 
upon  her,  she  said:  ''I  must  take  my  religion  with 
me,  and  if  I  occupy  the  chair  I  shall  open  the  meet- 


260  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

ing  with  prayer."    Her  Roman  Catholic  sisters 
accepted  the  condition  she  laid  down. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  September  we  started  for 
Montclair,  to  take  our  first  formal  furlough  in  the 
home  land.  Soon  after  arriving,  upon  invitation 
from  the  editor  of  ''The  Missionary  Herald,''  I 
wrote  an  article  entitled  ' '  Modern  Mexico, ' '  in  the 
course  of  which  was  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
Mexican  people  had  enjoyed  for  so  long  a  time 
the  blessings  of  peace  and  the  material  prosperity 
fostered  by  an  enlightened  administration,  that 
they  would  not  be  likely  to  sympathize  with  a  revo- 
lutionary movement  which  should  endeavor  by  vio- 
lent means  to  effect  changes  which  could  be  se- 
cured in  other  ways  without  the  shedding  of  blood. 
The  article  was  printed  in  full  by  ''The  Spring- 
field Republican,"  and  portions  of  it  were  quoted 
in  other  periodicals.  A  copy  of  the  magazine  was 
sent  to  the  Mexican  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs ; 
and  he  wrote  a  very  courteous  and  pleasing  note 
of  acknowledgment. 

It  is  easy  to  see  now  how  erroneous  was  the  fore- 
cast; and  the  tremendous  upheavals  in  the  world 
during  the  past  eight  years  have  led  the  most  of  us 
to  feel  greater  hesitancy  in  expressing  anticipa- 
tions as  to  what  nations  will  do  under  the  lead  of 
determined  men.  Even  before  my  article  came  off 
the  press,  a  patient  of  our  son's  called  fo  speak 
with  her  beloved  physician  and  put  him  on  his 
guard  against  what  might  happen.  She  was  not  at 
liberty  to  give  explanations,  having  "with  great 


POLITICAL   UPHEAVALS  261 

diflficulty  obtained  permission  to  say  so  much"  as 
she  did;  but  as  a  friend  she  advised  him  to  ''take 
the  family  and  go  to  El  Paso  for  a  visit  before  the 
twentieth  of  November."  The  "friend"  was  a 
cousin  of  Francisco  Orozco,  whose  father,  mother 
and  wife  were  members  of  our  little  church  near 
Ciudad  Guerrero;  and  who  became  General 
Orozco,  closely  associated  with  Francisco  Madero 
in  starting  the  revolt  for  the  overthrow  of  the 
Diaz  administration.  The  movement  began  on  the 
very  day  indicated,  the  plan  being  to  have  the 
revolution  start  simultaneously  in  several  differ- 
ent states;  but  when  some  individuals  who  were 
in  the  secret  gave  warning  to  the  authorities,  these 
were  able  to  adopt  repressive  measures,  and  delay 
at  the  outset  the  spread  of  the  revolt. 

Our  son  determined  to  stick  to  his  task,  and  soon 
was  in  the  thick  of  the  disturbances,  suffering  in- 
conveniences and  some  privations  in  the  matter 
of  food.  Indeed,  so  great  was  the  falling  off  in 
his  professional  income,  as  the  result  of  the  de- 
parture of  many  families,  both  Mexican  and  Amer- 
ican, seeking  safety  from  the  uncertainties  of  war- 
fare, that  early  in  the  following  July  he  felt  it 
advisable  to  abandon  the  field  wiiere  lie  liad  done 
so  fine  a  work  during  seven  years. 

From  Mexico's  Centennial  we  passed  almost  im- 
mediately to  that  of  the  American  Board,  wliich 
was  celebrated  in  Boston  in  connection  with  the 
meeting  of  the  National  Congregational  Council, 
but  for   one   day  was   transferred  to  Bradford 


262  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

where  is  cherished  the  memory  of  the  wife  of 
Adoniram  Judson,  one  of  the  first  company  of  mis- 
sionaries sent  to  the  foreign  field,  and  where,  in 
the  presence  of  a  great  throng  assembled  under 
the  trees,  were  commissioned  the  latest  recruits 
for  apostolic  service  abroad.  After  they  had  been 
addressed  by  President  Samuel  Capen,  it  fell  to 
me  to  offer  the  prayer  setting  them  apart  as 
soldiers  of  Christ.  Also  it  was  my  privilege  in 
Tremont  Temple  to  make  an  appeal  to  Christian 
people  to  share  generously  in  the  enterprise  of 
educating,  and  enlightening  spiritually,  the  many 
millions  of  our  next-door  neighbors. 

Our  sojourn  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  includ- 
ing the  taking  up  of  residence  for  a  time  in  the 
metropolis  itself  in  the  neighborhood  of  Teachers 
College,  gave  many  opportunities  for  hearing  fa- 
mous preachers  and  lecturers,  and  attending  no- 
table functions  like  the  celebration  in  Carnegie  Hall 
of  the  Tercentenary  of  the  King  James  version  of 
the  English  Bible,  when  there  was  given  me  a  seat 
on  the  platform  which  afforded  a  close  up  view  of 
Ambassador  James  Bryce.  Another  rare  occasion 
was  the  dedication  of  the  new  buildings  of  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  in  which  connection  I  saw 
Andrew  Carnegie  donning  his  academic  gown  in 
preparation  for  joining  the  procession.  After 
having  met  Dr.  J.  H.  Jowett  in  Birmingham,  and 
heard  him  preach  from  the  pulpit  made  famous 
by  the  ministrations  of  John  Angell  James  and  of 
R.  W.  Dale,  whose  combined  pastorates  covered 


POLITICAL  UPHEAVALS  203 

a  period  of  ninety-five  years,  it  was  very  interest- 
ing to  witness  his  first  appearance  in  tlic  pulpit 
of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  wliere 
our  party  of  six  were  assigned  a  pew  in  the  center 
of  the  house  because  we  were  recent  arrivals  from 
Mexico.  For  Commencement  at  Cohnnbia  Univer- 
sity we  were  given  places  in  the  procession  which 
formed  on  the  campus,  through  our  possession  of 
cards  received  by  our  daughter  as  a  member  of 
the  class  graduating  from  Teachers  College. 

From  Columbia  University  we  journeyed  to 
Beloit  College,  the  leading  feature  of  whose  com- 
mencement program  was  the  installation  of  the 
Beta  of  Wisconsin  Chapter  of  Phi  Beta  Kajipa. 
The  chief  address  was  given  by  the  President  of 
the  United  Chapters,  Dr.  Edward  A.  Grosvenor; 
and  the  charter  was  delivered  with  an  appropriate 
address  by  Dean  Birge  of  the  State  University, 
now  President  of  the  same  institution.  It  was  an 
inspiring  experience  to  be  inducted  into  the  noble 
fellowship  that  embraces  so  many  men  and  women 
whose  scholarly  pursuits  and  achievements  lionor 
the  institutions  of  learning  to  which  they  owe  a 
large  share  of  their  best  impulses. 

In  July  we  resumed  our  work  in  Chihuahua, 
and  passed  a  year  that  was  filled  with  exciting  ex- 
periences occasioned  by  the  conflicts  between  dif- 
ferent political  factions.  Some  fighting  occurred 
within  the  city  itself,  bullets  striking  the  tin  roof 
of  our  house  and  the  street  below  the  window  be- 
fore  which  our  daughter  was  standing  at  the  time. 


264  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

We  declined  an  invitation  to  spend  one  night  of 
special  peril  with  other  Americans  who  sought  the 
shelter  of  the  Consulate,  assembling  for  mutual 
protection ;  and  when  an  official  offered  to  lend  us 
a  flag  to  hoist  over  our  place  of  residence,  we 
thought  it  would  be  more  conducive  to  safety  of 
our  lives  and  our  property,  not  to  attract  by  that 
means  the  attention  of  any  chance  marauders  to 
the  dwelling  occupied  by  foreigners. 

One  day  President  Madero  arrived  from  the 
south,  and  was  acclaimed  with  huzzas  by  the  popu- 
lace and  the  thousands  of  pupils  from  the  schools 
that  lined  both  sides  of  the  long  avenue  leading 
from  the  railway  station  to  the  plaza.  At  a  re- 
ception held  in  the  state  house  the  girls  of  our 
boarding  school  and  other  private  institutions 
were  most  graciously  saluted  by  him,  one  after 
another;  and  in  the  evening  at  the  theater  he  oc- 
cupied a  chair  on  the  stage  and  listened  to  several 
addresses  by  adherents  of  the  new  regime.  Gen- 
eral Orozco  was  seated  with  friends  in  the  alcove 
at  the  opposite  end  of  the  auditorium,  and  mani- 
fested considerable  reluctance  to  go  forward  and 
join  his  former  comrade  in  arms,  when  a  com- 
mittee was  sent  to  escort  him  to  the  stage,  thus 
showing  plainly  the  beginning  of  the  rift  which 
later  widened  into  a  serious  breach  between  the 
two  in  Mexico  City. 

On  a  certain  day  there  marched  into  our  city 
a  company  of  twelve  hundred  mounted  men  in  citi- 
zens'  clothing,  each  one  wearing  around  his  hat 


POLITICAL  UPHEAVALS  265 

a  band  of  red  ribbon  on  which  were  printed  the 
words  "Tierra  y  Trabajo,"  (Land  and  Labor). 
During  one  prolonged  period  of  quiet  there  was 
held  a  municipal  election,  to  determine  especially 
which  of  two  candidates  should  occupy  the  office  of 
mayor.  Feeling  ran  high ;  and  many  of  us  feared 
that  whoever  might  win  the  majority  of  votes,  the 
partisans  of  the  defeated  man  would  appeal  to 
arms.  On  election  day  I  visited  a  few  of  the  poll- 
ing places,  and  found  at  the  table  representatives 
of  both  parties.  At  a  certain  place  one  of  the 
election  board  who  recognized  me  remarked  in  a 
tranquil  tone : '  *  We  are  going  to  show  that  we  can 
conduct  an  election  in  a  peaceable  manner,  and 
then  abide  by  the  result  of  the  balloting."  And 
sure  enough,  there  was  no  disturbance  whatever; 
the  one  who  had  received  a  majority  of  the  votes 
cast  was  inducted  into  office,  without  a  dissenting 
voice  being  heard  from  the  opposite  party. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  political  agitation,  we 
Americans  in  Mexico  almost  to  a  man  sjTupathizod 
with  the  Diaz  party,  although  of  course  we  had  no 
right  to  take  sides.  Naturally  our  interests  were 
bound  up  with  the  maintenance  of  public  order, 
and  we  felt  that  we  could  entrust  them  to  the  care 
of  the  educated  and  influential  classes  who  had 
long  been  in  control  of  state  and  national  affairs, 
far  better  than  to  risk  them  in  the  hands  of  men 
who,  whatever  might  be  their  good  intentions, 
were  utterly  without  experience  in  matters  of 
government. 


266  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

But  as  time  passed  and  the  voices  of  the  humbler 
people  came  to  be  heard  more  clearly,  some  began 
to  realize  that  these  had  really  suffered  from  neg- 
lect,  misunderstanding   and   selfish   exploitation. 

The  pleas  they  made  sounded  reasonable  to  such 
as  had  received  from  their  fathers  the  blessings 
of  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness.  The 
rallying  cries  were  these:  (1)  Effective  Suffrage, 
being  allowed  to  vote  freely,  and  have  their  votes 
honestly  counted;  (2)  No  Eeelection,  after  their 
experience  of  one  man  and  his  intimate  associates 
in  power  for  a  third  of  a  century;  (3)  Equitable 
Taxation,  which  would  reduce  the  tariff  on  im- 
ports of  prime  necessity  and  increase  the  imposts 
on  articles  of  luxury,  and  in  line  with  this,  would 
levy  a  moderate  tax  upon  land  in  order  to  dis- 
courage the  holding  by  the  owner  of  vast  tracts 
unimproved,  and  thus  encourage  the  breaking  up 
of  the  immense  estates  whose  existence  makes  it 
almost  impossible  for  persons  of  moderate  means 
to  acquire  property  in  the  soil  and  establish  real 
homes;  and  (4)  General  Education,  so  that  the  ad- 
vantages enjoyed  bj^  the  great  centers  of  popula- 
tion might  be  extended  to  the  people  who  live  in 
the  smaller  towns  and  pueblos  and  on  the  hacien- 
das. 

With  a  view  to  promoting  a  better  understand- 
ing with  the  Latin  American  countries  in  general, 
it  would  be  well  worth  our  while,  from  a  material 
standpoint,  aside  from  the  question  of  what  is 
morally  right,  to  endeavor  to  cultivate  a  new  at- 


POLITICAL  UPHEAVALS  2G7 

titude  toward  the  nearest  of  them  all,  Mexico  (be- 
cause all  are  observing  our  treatment  of  her),  an 
attitude  of  sympathy  with  her  in  her  facing  of 
difficult  problems,  and  of  appreciation  of  the  many 
admirable  characteristics  of  her  people,  their 
courtesy,  hospitality,  domestic  ai¥ectioii,  and  love 
of  music  and  flowers  and  other  beautiful  things. 
Notwithstanding  the  unfortunate  occurrences  in 
the  past  which  have  marred  relations  with  our 
Mexican  neighbors,  we  might  convince  them  within 
a  comparatively  short  time,  that  we  are  unalter- 
ably opposed  to  all  attempts,  by  whomsoever  made, 
to  acquire  more  of  their  territory,  whether  by  in- 
vasion or  by  an  offer  to  purchase ;  and  that  we  in- 
tend to  respect  their  national  sovereignty,  having 
no  thought  of  placing  limitations  upon  it  as  we  did 
in  the  case  of  Cuba. 

There  are  tactful  ways  for  helping  Mexico  in 
her  efforts  to  develop  a  background  of  education, 
social  justice  and  religious  enlightemnent,  against 
which  alone  can  be  reared  a  stable  government. 
Her  leaders  have  shown  readiness  to  study  our  in- 
stitutions in  order  to  learn  what  methods  might 
well  be  followed  in  their  country.  Although  it 
was  from  Germany  that  President  Diaz  sunnnoned 
Professor  Rebsamen  to  organize  normal  schools 
for  the  training  of  teachers,  with  the  cons(^quent 
adoption  of  some  of  his  text-books,  President 
Carranza  sent  a  hundred  or  more  of  his  public 
school  teachers  to  the  United  States,  to  study  the 
systems  of  education  in  New  York  and  New  Eng- 


268  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

land.  When  he  was  governor  of  the  State  of 
Coahuila,  he  had  for  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction Don  Andres  Osuna,  formerly  a  Metho- 
dist minister,  who  was  educated  at  Vanderbilt  Uni- 
versity and  the  Massachusetts  State  Normal 
School  at  Bridgewater.  Many  of  the  civil  authori- 
ties in  that  country  welcome  the  cooperation  of 
the  great  Protestant  mission  boards  in  the  work 
of  general  enlightenment,  and  highly  appreciate 
what  these  are  doing  along  educational,  social  wel- 
fare and  industrial  lines ;  and  some  of  the  officials 
are  in  sympathy  with  their  moral  and  religious 
undertakings  as  well. 

The  United  States  ought  to  take  the  part  of  a  big 
sister  toward  the  Republic  on  the  south,  not  only 
showing  her  the  path  of  material  prosperity,  and 
of  a  true  democracy  in  which  the  voice  of  the 
majority  shall  prevail  peaceably,  but  also  ready  to 
share  with  her  the  highest  moral  and  spiritual 
ideals  which  alone  make  a  nation  truly  happy  and 
permanently  great. 


Church  Edifice  i.\  Portland,   Dedicated  in   1895 


CHAPTER  XX 

SOME  JOURNEYS  AND  FAMILY  REUNIONS 

For  the  sake  of  my  children  I  may  be  permitted 
to  group  together  here  some  of  the  experiences 
which  have  not  found  a  place  in  my  narrative  tlius 
far,  but  which  they  would  be  unwilling  to  have 
me  omit  from  my  life  story. 

In  1895,  nineteen  years  after  we  had  said  fare- 
well to  the  friends  in  Portland,  Oregon,  we  re- 
ceived in  Mexico  an  invitation  from  the  First  Con- 
gregational Church  to  attend  the  dedication  of 
their  new  house  of  worship,  a  stone  edifice  with 
massive  tower  closely  patterned  after  that  of  the 
new  Old  South  Church  in  Boston.  On  our  way 
northward,  accompanied  by  our  little  daughter,  we 
spent  a  happy  week  in  Oakland  with  a  couple 
whom  '*we  married"  in  Portland  immediately 
after  beginning  life  together  in  1875.  We  renewed 
acquaintance  with  my  revered  teacher,  R.  A. 
Donaldson,  with  Rev.  Walter  Frear,  representing 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  the  American  Board,  with 
Drs.  William  C.  Pond  and  John  K  McLean.  Illus- 
trative lectures  on  Mexico  were  given  in  Alameda, 
in  the  First  Church  of  Oakland,  and  the  First 

269 


270  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

Church  of  San  Francisco  where  we  had  been  mar- 
ried by  Dr.  Stone. 

The  route  of  our  farther  travel  followed  pretty- 
closely  the  old  stage  road,  of  rather  rough  riding 
and  thrilling  experiences;  and  we  saw  from  the 
station  at  Strawberry  Valley  the  very  same  inn 
where  we  had  stopped  over  Sunday  on  our  wed- 
ding journey.  Arrived  at  Portland  we  were  met 
at  the  train  by  old  friends,  one  of  whom  conducted 
us  to  "The  Hill"  and  placed  at  our  disposal,  for 
as  long  a  time  as  we  might  feel  disposed  to  re- 
main, a  commodious  apartment  from  whose  front 
window  was  had  a  magnificent  view  of  the  Eose 
City  with  Mount  Hood  in  the  distance.  From  time 
to  time  were  we  invited  to  the  tables  of  other 
friends,  and  returning  would  find  our  room 
adorned  with  flowers.  The  dedicatory  sermon  was 
preached  by  Dr.  Frank  W.  Gunsaulus  of  Chicago ; 
and  the  consecrating  prayer  was  offered  by  the 
missionary  from  Mexico,  who  was  the  only  former 
pastor  present,  although  three  widows  of  former 
pastors  were  there. 

"Himes  the  Printer"  who  was  clerk  of  the 
church  in  the  old  days,  showed  himself  as  much 
alive  as  ever,  and  he  is  still  active  as  curator  of  the 
Oregon  Historical  Society.  Searching  the  records 
he  discovered  that  after  so  long  an  interval  of 
time  there  were  still  in  the  congregation  sixty 
persons  who  were  connected  with  church  or 
Bible  school  during  my  pastorate.  A  lady  member 
of  the  church,  who  was  a  stranger  to  us,  had  pre- 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND  REUNIONS       271 

viously  arranged  by  letter  for  me  to  bring  stere- 
opticon  views  of  Mexico  to  illustrate  a  lecture  to 
be  given  after  the  dedication  for  the  benefit  of 
a  home  missionary  enterprise  in  Oregon  City. 
When  she  called  on  us,  the  discovery  was  made 
that  she  was  from  Meriden,  Connecticut,  and  felt 
deeply  indebted  to  the  wife's  grandfather  for 
favors  received  in  her  girlhood.  Upon  a  leaf  in 
our  autograph  album  she  wrote : 

To  Gertrude  Pratt  Eaton:  Hitherto  strangers  upon 
life's  ocean  I  hasten,  while  for  a  brief  moment  our 
barks  touch  at  the  same  port,  to  acknowledge  the  debt 
of  gratitude  to  that  grand  old  man  thy  grandfather, 
Julius  Pratt,  which  sliall  bind  me  to  thee  and  thim- 
while  memory  lasts. 

There  w^ere  other  interesting  interviews  and  en- 
counters with  various  persons,  such  as  the  vener- 
able Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
B.  Wistar  Morris,  who  was  the  first  clergyman  to 
call  upon  the  young  stripling  of  a  minister  almost 
a  score  of  years  before ;  Professor  W.  D.  Lyman 
of  Whitman  College  who  in  his  senior  year  at 
Forest  Grove  University  in  1873  had  engaged  the 
Portland  pastor  to  address  the  students  at  com- 
mencement; and  Professor  I.  A.  Macrum  wlio  luui 
made  a  little  speech  at  the  time  of  the  presentation 
of  the  watch.  A  Japanese  minister  from  Mat- 
suyama,  delight«^d  to  meet  one  who  had  been  a 
f  fallow  student  at  And  over  with  tlie  founder  of  the 
Doshisha,  wrot'   in  my  album: 


272  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

An  unworthy  pupil  of  Joseph  Neeshima  to  whom  I 
owe  all  the  inspirations  of  my  Christian  life. 

Be  like  a  king  over  thyself, 

Be  like  a  servant  to  thy  neighbor,  and 

Be  like  a  child  to  thy  God. 

— My  Christianity. 

Dr.  Guiisaulus  was  at  the  same  hotel  with  our- 
selves, and  he  wrote  in  our  book  the  significant 
lines, 

Be  sure  that  on  life's  common  street 
Are  crossways  where  God's  chariots  meet. 

The  return  journey  was  made  via  Puget  Sound, 
with  sojourns  in  its  wonderful  cities,  and  thence 
by  steamer  to  San  Francisco.  We  came  away 
deeply  grateful  for  the  many  courtesies  that  had 
been  shown  us,  and  with  a  fresh  realization  of  tlie 
high  privilege  which  had  been  ours  in  the  past  in 
being  officially  connected  with  a  church  of  so  long 
and  honorable  a  history;  while  at  the  same  time 
we  were  thoroughly  content  to  return  to  Mexico 
and  the  work  of  uplift  and  spiritual  renewal  in 
a  field  where  we  were  pioneers. 

The  year  1897  was  made  memorable  for  us  as 
a  family  by  several  events.  The  first  was  the 
Golden  Wedding  anniversary  of  my  parents  on 
the  twentieth  of  May,  wliich  was  celebrated  by 
the  church  in  Roscoe,  Illinois,  to  which  they  had 
been  mininstering  for  eleven  years.    Former  pa- 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND   REUNIONS       273 

risliioners  came  from  Lancaster,  Wisconsin,  to 
bring  their  loving  tributes  of  appreciation  of  the 
services  which  had  been  rendered  to  that  com- 
munitj^,  together  with  a  gift  of  gold  coins.  There 
were  representatives  from  Beloit  College  with 
which  the  family  was  so  closely  connected,  and 
ministers  from  neighboring  churches.  But  most 
interesting  of  all  was  the  presence  of  the  four 
sons,  who  had  not  been  able  to  meet  together  since 
the  year  of  the  silver  wedding,  and  of  the  chihlren 
of  two  of  them.  Each  one  of  the  four  in  turn 
gave  expression  to  his  sentiments  of  love  and  ad- 
miration for  his  honored  parents  and  of  gratitude 
for  all  they  had  done  by  their  teaching  and  ex- 
ample to  create  a  beautiful  home  life  and  to  send 
their  sons  out  into  the  world  with  ideals  whicli  liad 
always  served  as  guiding  stars  to  be  trusted. 

One  month  later  the  college  also  celebrated  its 
semicentennial,  with  reviews  by  a  numl)or  of  its 
graduates  of  the  part  it  had  borne  in  the  life  of 
the  nation  and  of  the  world,  and  receiving  the  con- 
gratulations and  good  wishes  of  sister  institutions. 
It  fell  to  me  to  give  the  address  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing before  the  Christian  Associations,  taking  for 
the  subject,  '' Beloit 's  Enthusiasm  for  Humanity; 
Its  Source  and  Aim."  On  Commencement  Day  oc- 
curred the  conferring  of  honorary  degrees,  three 
of  them  being  that  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  The 
recipients  were  a  professor  in  a  theological  sem- 
inary, the  president  of  a  college  and  a  foreign  mis- 
sionary, all  of  them  graduates  of  the  college  that 


274  LIFE  UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

was  recalling  the  outstanding  events  of  the  fifty 
years  of  its  service  to  humanity. 

Sandwiched  in  between  the  golden  wedding  and 
the  college  commencement  was  a  meeting  of 
the  International  Missionary  Union  at  Clifton 
Springs,  New  York,  where  we  were  guests  of  the 
Sanitarium  for  a  week.  On  the  opening  night  the 
roll  call  disclosed  the  fact  that  there  were  as- 
sembled together  exactly  one  hundred  and  twenty 
men  and  women  representing  all  the  continents 
of  the  w^orld  and  some  of  its  islands.  It  vividly 
recalled  what  was  written  of  that  assembly  in 
the  upper  room  at  Jerusalem  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, and  was  a  suggestion  to  us,  all  through  the 
week,  of  the  gifts  and  graces  that  are  available 
to  those  who  truly  seek  the  indwelling  of  the 
Divine  Spirit.  Indeed,  that  was  the  subject  of  an 
intimate  talk  early  in  the  sessions  by  Dr.  Foster, 
the  founder  of  the  institution,  who  sought  to  make 
us  realize  that  the  Spirit,  like  the  air  we  breathe, 
pervades  all  and  will  enter  and  fill  everyone  who 
will  make  room  for  Him. 

Overlapping  some  of  the  events  mentioned 
above,  was  the  Pratt  Family  Reunion  in  Mont- 
clair;  lasting  for  an  entire  month  and  comprising 
a  series  of  celebrations  in  great  variety  of  at- 
tractions, outdoor  excursions  and  indoor  gather- 
ings, with  songs  and  games  and  reminiscences. 
All  of  the  children  and  their  life  partners  came 
together,  and  many  of  the  grandchildren,  for  this 
domestic  festival;  and  on  one  of  the  evenings  the 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND  REUNIONS       275 

patriarch  of  all  read  extracts  from  tlic  autobi- 
ography he  had  been  writing,  which  pictured  his 
early  life  in  a  New  England  home.  At  intervals 
through  all  the  happy  time  of  the  reunion  was 
sounded  a  note  of  tender  recollection  of  the  two — 
the  one  who  with  her  spouse  had  formed  the  united 
head  of  the  family,  and  their  eldest  daughter — 
who  had  passed  beyond  our  sight. 

In  May  of  the  year  1900  we  journeyed  again  to 
Wisconsin  in  order  that  I  might  give  a  course  of 
eight  lectures  at  Beloit  College,  on  the  Porter 
Foundation,  under  the  general  title  "Spanish 
America,  in  its  History,  Characteristics  and  Pros- 
pects, mth  Special  Reference  to  the  Christian 
Church  and  the  Anglo-Saxon  Civilization. ' '  Some 
of  them  were  illustrated  with  stereopticon  views; 
and  the  concluding  lecture  was  accorded  a  hearing 
by  the  entire  student  body,  as  it  was  given  on 
a  Sunday  afternoon  in  the  chapel. 

Our  son  graduated  with  the  class  of  that  year; 
and  we  journeyed  together  to  Washington  in  order 
that  he  might  become  acquainted  with  the  capital 
of  the  country,  and  in  the  hope  that  we  might  be 
presented  to  President  McKinley.  For  this  hope 
there  was  good  ground  in  the  two  facts,  tliat  a 
friend  of  my  youth  was  then  at  the  head  of  the 
Pension  Bureau,  and  that  a  son  of  one  of  my 
father's  classmates  and  intimate  associates  in  col- 
lege was  private  secretary  to  the  President.  After 
luncheon  we  called  at  the  White  House  and  sent 
in  our  cards.    On  the  back  of  mine  was  written 


276  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

with  pencil, ' '  Yale  1842 ' ' ;  and  the  response  of  the 
secretary  was  immediate  and  most  cordial.  We 
were  invited  to  return  at  four  o'clock,  ''after  the 
President  shall  have  received  the  public  in  the 
East  Eoom."  There  was  some  delay  owing  to  a  re- 
quest which  had  come  from  the  governor  of  one 
of  the  southern  states  for  federal  troops  to  aid 
in  preserving  public  order  which  was  menaced  in 
a  certain  city;  and  Mr.  McKinley  was  closeted 
"with  the  Secretary  of  War  to  study  the  situation. 
After  a  while  those  who  were  waiting  in  the  ante- 
room were  dismissed  for  that  day  by  che  private 
secretary ;  and  he  ushered  us  into  the  cabinet  room 
where  the  two  officials  were  in  conference.  With 
the  Secretary  of  War  I  was  able  to  speak  concern- 
ing his  brother  who  had  business  interests  in  our 
part  of  Mexico.  When  I  ventured  to  express  my 
satisfaction  with  the  recent  nomination  of  Presi- 
dent Angell  of  the  University  of  Michigan  to  be 
Minister  to  Turkey,  the  President  replied:  "I 
think  that  is  about  the  best  nomination  I  ever 
made;  and  he  is  a  persona  grata,  and  is  going!" 
When  we  were  taking  our  departure  the  wonder- 
ful faculty  of  President  McKinley  for  remember- 
ing the  names  of  those  whom  he  had  met  at  any 
time  was  shown  in  the  final  words,  spoken  in  al- 
most the  affectionate  manner  of  a  father  to  his 
son, ' '  Good-bye,  Howard. ' '  This  surprised  me  be- 
cause I  myself  did  not  remember  that  he  had  been 
told  by  what  name  the  young  man  was  known  in 
the  family  and  by  intimate  friends. 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND   REUNIONS       277 

The  following  year  was  held  in  our  bcaulirul 
temple  in  Chihuahua,  appropriately  decorated  Tor 
the  solemn  occasion,  a  memorial  service,  in  wliich 
the  American  Consul  took  a  leading  pari,  and 
which  was  attended  by  a  great  concourse  of  our 
countrymen,  and  by  many  prominent  Mexicans  as 
well  who  had  received  an  invitation  to  accompany 
us,  the  same  having  been  printed  in  their  own 
language  and,  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of 
the  country,  on  a  folded  sheet  of  paper  heavily 
bordered  with  the  emblem  of  mourning.  The  an- 
nouncement in  English  was  as  follows: — 

In  Memory  of 
President  William  McKinley 

A  Ceremony  expressive  of  respect  for  the  dis- 
tinguished dead,  and  of  sympathy  for  the  afllicted 
people  of  the  United  States,  will  be  held  in  Trinity 
Church, 

Sunday,  September  15,  at  4  p.m. 

All  members  of  the  American  Colony  and  their 
friends  are  respectfully  invited  to  be  present. 

Soon  after  the  visit  to  the  White  House  I  sailed 
for  Southampton  and  the  London  Convention,  as 
narrated  in  a  previous  chapter.  After  that  event, 
was  enjoyed  a  summer  of  travel,  the  details  of 
which  need  not  be  given  in  these  pages  because  for 
the  most  part  they  are  so  familiar  to  the  public; 
but  some  of  my  experiences  it  may  be  worth  while 
to  record.  The  trip  on  the  continent  carried  mo 
through  Belgium  to  Cologne  on  the  Rhine,  and  up 


278  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

that  historic  river  past  the  numerous  castles  on  its 
banks.  From  windows  in  one  after  another  of 
them  groups  of  ladies  gaily  waved  their  handker- 
chiefs in  friendly  greeting,  thus  aiding  us  in  a  sort 
of  day  dream  to  imagine  ourselves  transported 
back  to  mediaeval  times  when  chivalrous  knights 
wore  the  favors  of  those  whose  honor  they  de- 
fended. 

We  were  in  Oberammergau  over  Sunday,  to  wit- 
ness the  Passion  Play;  a  company  of  six  of  us 
lodged  in  the  house  of  one  who  took  the  part  of 
Simon  Peter,  but  who  at  the  dinner  hour  assisted 
the  women  in  w^aiting  upon  their  guests.  The  play 
began  at  eight  o'clock  and  lasted  until  five,  with 
only  an  intermission  of  one  hour  at  noon  for  rest 
and  refreshment.  All  was  conducted  in  a  deeply 
religious  manner,  and  was  profoundly  moving  to 
everyone  familiar  with  the  gospel  story;  so  that 
when  the  vivid  reproduction  of  the  tragedy  in 
Jerusalem  was  finished  some  of  us  felt  as  if  we  too 
had  been  with  the  disciples  and  the  w^omen  gazing 
in  sorrow  and  love  at  the  Crucified.  At  the  very 
time  of  the  most  intense  emotion  there  came  a  tre- 
mendous clap  of  thunder  from  the  black  clouds 
that  had  gathered  over  our  heads,  and  it  rever- 
berated among  the  encircling  mountains  in  a  terri- 
fying way;  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  drench- 
ing the  chorus  and  obliging  the  participants  for 
some  moments  to  suspend  their  action.  It  seemed 
as  if  in  very  truth  the  heavens  themselves  were 
expressing  abhorrence  of  the  deed  of  shame.    A 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND  REUNIONS       279 

gentleman  from  Chicago,  wlio  was  an  unbeliever, 
remarked  of  the  Passion  Play:  "I  went  to  mock, 
but  I  remained  to  pray." 

Many  pages  of  my  diary  are  filled  with  accounts 
of  the  sojourn  in  Munich,  the  visit  to  Swisg 
lakes  and  the  Rhigi,  and  the  week  in  Paris  and  its 
environs.  It  was  the  year  of  the  Exposition,  and 
the  city  was  full  of  foreigners.  One  day  on  the 
Champs  Elysees  I  met  the  Shah  of  Persia  being 
driven  in  great  state  accompanied  by  liigli 
officials  of  the  French  govermnent  in  carriages. 
Sunday  was  filled  with  interesting  experiences: 
early  attendance  at  the  Russian  Church,  then  to 
the  American  Church  and  the  Christian  Endeavor 
meeting  at  ten  o'clock  under  the  lead  of  a  Japa- 
nese pastor  who  was  delegate  to  a  convention  of 
students,  follow^ed  by  the  eleven  o'clock  service 
under  the  lead  of  the  pastor,  Dr.  E.  G.  Thurber, 
and  with  a  masterly  sermon  by  Dr.  Archibald 
McCullock  of  Worcester,  Massachusetts.  The  en- 
tire afternoon  was  spent,  together  with  a  few  con- 
genial friends,  in  the  cemetery  of  Pere  Lachaise, 
whose  gates  of  entrance  are  a  preparation  for  go- 
ing into  a  place  of  worship  and  meditation;  for 
without  are  sculptured  in  Latin  the  words,  "II<^ 
that  believeth  in  Me,  though  he  were  dead  yet  shall 
he  live,"  and  *' Their  sure  hope  of  immortality"; 
and  on  the  inside  we  saw,  chiseled  also  in  stone, 
an  hourglass  with  wings,  and  lighted  torches.  As 
We  wandered  along  the  passageways,  and  came 
upon  the  resting-places  of  illustrious  men  to  whom 


280  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

the  world  owes  so  niucli,  we  seemed  to  be  treading 
the  aisles  of  another  Westminster  Abbey.  For  we 
read  there  the  names  of  statesmen  like  H.  Thiers, 
of  Scientists  like  La  Place  and  Gay-Lussac,  of 
writers  like  Moliere  and  La  Fontaine,  of  the  musi- 
cian Chopin,  of  Hahnemann  the  founder  of  a 
school  of  medicine,  of  Abelard  and  Heloise,  be- 
sides those  of  soldiers  who  in  the  Franco-Prussian 
War  of  1870-71  gave  their  lives  for  the  fatherland. 
At  the  grave  of  Allan  Kardec  I  gathered  leaves 
of  ivy  to  carry  back  to  Mexico  and  bestow  upon 
some  prominent  spiritualists  who  had  honored  me 
with  their  friendship.  In  the  evening  I  attended 
the  principal  place  of  worship  of  the  McCall  Mis- 
sion in  the  Rue  Royal  near  the  Church  of  the 
Madeleine.  After  the  service  the  evangelist  in 
charge  was  ready  to  answer  frankly  all  my  ques- 
tions. He  said  that  the  priests  who  leave  the 
Roman  Church  generally  react  into  infidelity,  and 
that  the  Roman  hierarchy  is  regaining  much  of  its 
former  power.  At  one  time  the  Scottish  lady  who 
had  presided  at  the  small  pipe  organ,  cautioned 
us  not  to  let  others  hear  us  talking  English  with 
her,  because  the  French  enemies  of  their  work 
charged  that  all  was  being  supported  by  the  Eng- 
lish with  the  ulterior  aim  of  gaining  political  ad- 
vantage. This  sounded  very  familiar  to  one  who 
had  heard  in  Mexico  the  often  repeated  calumny 
that  the  evangelical  missions  there  were  in  fact  a 
disguised  movement  to  bring  about  a  peaceful  an- 
nexation of  that  country  to  the  United  States. 


I 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND   REUNIONS       281 

Returning  across  the  English  Channel,  1  de- 
voted three  weeks  to  a  solitary  tour  in  Enghmd 
and  Scotland,  after  taking  one  of  Cook's  drives 
over  London  to  refresh  my  memory  in  regard  to 
the  leading  points  of  interest  whicli  had  been 
visited  twenty  years  before.  It  was  surprising 
to  find  how  many  material  improvements  had  been 
made  in  that  old  city  during  the  interval,  as  for 
example  the  widening  of  some  of  the  main  thor- 
oughfares and  the  construction  of  the  underground 
electric  "Tube."  At  one  point  in  order  to  reacli 
the  train  it  was  necessary  to  descend  eighty  feet 
below  the  surface.  One  had  the  choice  of  three 
different  w^avs  to  make  the  connection;  a  staircase 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  steps,  an  inclined  walk 
or  an  elevator.  It  was  interesting  to  make  trial 
of  all  three.  In  Westminster  Abbey  and  Saint 
Paul's  it  was  noticed  that  many  graves  had  been 
,added  in  the  same  length  of  time ;  those  of  Deans 
Stanley  and  Milman,  Canon  Liddon,  Tennyson  and 
Bro^\aiing,  Gladstone  and  Disraeli,  General  ''Chi- 
nese" Gordon  and  Millais. 

In  Ely  Cathedral  it  was  my  privilege  to  meet 
the  Dean  and,  upon  a  suggestion  previously  given 
in  private  by  the  verger,  assure  him  of  the  deep 
interest  taken  by  the  people  of  Montclair  in  his 
illustrated  lecture  not  long  before  on  that  marvel- 
ous structure.  During  my  stay  in  York  was  hehl 
in  the  Minster  a  service  in  memory  of  the  Duke  of 
Edinburgh,  the  Archbishop  of  York  reading  the 
lessons  and  the  collects.    A  seat  in  the  choir  \vas 


282  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

given  me.  Their  beautiful  singing  ended  with 
"God  save  the  Queen."  All  through  the  service, 
at  considerable  intervals  of  time,  we  heard  strokes 
of  the  great  bell  tolling;  and  after  the  benediction 
was  played  Chopin's  Funeral  March.  Another 
service  in  memory  of  the  Duke  was  held  simul- 
taneously in  Saint  Paul's  Cathedral,  conducted 
by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  To  me  Canter- 
bury Cathedral  was  the  most  interesting  of  all  the 
cathedrals  I  was  permitted  to  visit;  so  imposing 
in  its  dimensions,  so  rich  in  its  monuments,  and 
possessing  a  lofty  crypt  which  furnished  a  place 
of  refuge  for  many  of  the  Huguenots  when  they 
fled  from  France  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes.  In  that  crypt  they  lived  and  worked 
at  their  trade  as  weavers,  and  to  this  day  their 
descendants  meet  for  worship  in  the  same  retreat. 
The  trip  through  Scotland  included  of  course 
Edinburgh  and  vicinity,  boating  on  the  Lochs,  and 
coaching  through  the  Trossachs,  to  Glasgow. 
Then  the  English  Lakes  and  Wordsworth's  coun- 
try. From  the  old  walled  town  of  Chester  it  was 
inevitable  that  I  should  take  the  river  trip  to 
Eaton  Hall,  palace  of  the  Duke  of  Westminster, 
which  is  open  to  the  public  from  the  middle  of 
May  to  the  middle  of  September.  From  the  steam- 
boat landing  it  is  a  drive  of  nearly  a  mile  through 
the  grounds  to  the  gates  of  the  palace.  Grounds 
and  buildings  are  a  dream  of  beauty  and  grandeur. 
An  old  retainer  told  me  that  he  had  been  all 
through  Windsor  Castle,  but  that  in  it  there  was 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND  REUNIONS       283 

nothing  to  compare  with  the  furnishings  of  this 
place;  that  the  buildings  alone  cost  two  million 
pounds  sterling,  and  are  insured  in  several  dif- 
ferent companies.  The  young  duke,  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  was  at  that  time  in  Africa. 

Both  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Universities  were 
included  in  my  itinerary,  friends  in  both  places 
helping  to  create  something  of  a  home  atmosphere, 
and  directing  my  steps  to  the  shrines  most  impor- 
tant to  be  visited  by  a  stranger  from  over  seas. 
In  Cambridge  especially  a  letter  of  introduction 
to  a  famous  biologist  led  to  the  offer  from  his  wife 
to  be  my  guide  through  the  college  halls,  chapels 
and  quadrangles.  In  the  Senate  Hall  at  the  time 
was  a  meeting  addressed  by  A.  J.  Balfour  who  was 
opening  a  *' University  Extension"  course ;  and  we 
met  him  and  other  professors  walking  thither, 
arrayed  in  scarlet  gowns.  Not  only  were  the  build- 
ings covered  largely  with  ivy  and  other  vines,  as 
at  Oxford;  but  the  grounds  were  more  profusely 
adorned  with  flowers  than  was  the  case  at  Oxford, 
boxes  of  the  growing  plants  being  seen  on  the  sills 
of  almost  all  the  windows;  and  many  magnolia 
trees  were  in  bloom. 

My  visit  to  Stratford  was  greatly  enriched  by 
making  the  acquaintance  of  Professor  John  T. 
Young,  F.R.G.S.,  at  the  Fountain  Inn  where  both 
of  us  were  lodged.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  anti- 
quarian and  student  of  Shakespeare,  accustomed 
to  spend  his  summer  vacations  in  that  town. 
While  we  were  breakfasting  together  he  offered 


284  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

to  show  me  some  ancient  remains  which  were  sel- 
dom brought  to  the  attention  of  tourists ;  and  this 
resulted  in  his  serving  as  my  guide  during  the  en- 
tire morning.  In  tliis  way  we  visited  Shake- 
speare 's  birthplace,  school,  tomb  in  the  church,  and 
the  Memorial,  comprising  theater,  picture  gallery 
and  library.  Professor  Young  showed  me  the  won- 
derful view  from  the  tower  of  this  building,  and 
urged  me  to  gaze  on  it  with  the  conscious  effort 
to  impress  it  indelibly  upon  the  memory.  The 
effort  was  successful,  as  shown  by  the  vividness 
with  which  is  recalled  to  this  day  the  church,  the 
winding  river  and  the  surrounding  landscape.  De- 
scending to  the  ground  and  pausing  before  the 
statue  of  the  poet,  my  guide  remarked  that  never 
was  he  able  to  look  at  that  figure,  whose  face  was 
turned  toward  the  church  which  guarded  the  sa- 
cred dust,  without  deep  emotion. 

On  the  last  Sunday  in  England  it  was  my  privi- 
lege to  attend  a  vesper  service  in  Westminster  Ab- 
bey. There  was  gathered  an  assemblage  which 
completely  filled  the  transepts  when  I  entered  at 
half-past  six  o'clock;  but  a  seat  was  given  me  in 
the  choir.  The  service  was  of  a  delightfully  infor- 
mal character,  with  singing  by  the  congregation 
only,  led  by  the  organ,  of  the  familiar  hymns, 
**Rock  of  Ages,"  "How  sweet  the  name  of  Jesus 
sounds,"  ''Love  divine,  all  love  excelling,"  and 
"Abide  with  me;  fast  falls  the  eventide."  The 
preacher  was  Canon  Gore  who  took  for  his  text,  "I 
will  therefore  that  men  pray  everywhere,  lifting  up 


SOME  JOURNEYS  AND  REUNIONS       285 

holy  hands,  without  wrath  and  doubting."  It  was 
a  most  satisfying  ending  to  my  sojourn  in  Groat 
Britain;  and  I  was  loath  to  leave  that  place  hal- 
lowed, as  is  no  other  spot,  by  rich  associations 
with  the  history  and  the  religious  life  of  a  great 
people. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

IN   THE   HOME   LAND   AGAIN 

In  the  summer  of  1912  the  decision  was  made  to 
sunder  the  ties  binding  us  to  Mexico,  which  had 
become  very  strong  through  our  residence  there, 
in  the  same  city,  for  thirty  years.  It  was  the  ad- 
vice of  physicians  that  we  remove  our  place  of 
residence  to  Los  Angeles,  California. 

In  ''The  Chihuahua  Enterprise"  of  November 
16,  1912,  appeared  our  farewell  letter  to  the  Eng- 
lish-speaking people  of  that  city,  prefaced  by  these 
kind  words  from  the  editor:  ''For  many  years 
Dr.  Eaton  has  been  identified  with  church  work  in 
this  state ;  and  the  great  strides  made  by  his  de- 
nomination in  this  territory  have  been  due  to  his 
untiring  energy  and  devotion.  The  people  of  this 
city  and  especially  the  parishioners  of  Trinity 
Church  will  regret  his  retirement  and  departure ; 
but  wherever  God's  missionaries  go  the  world  is 
benefited,  and  Chihuahua's  loss  in  Dr.  Eaton  is 
another 's  gain. ' '  The  letter,  after  giving  the  rea- 
son for  our  going  and  stating  what  arrangements 
had  been  made  for  filling  the  vacancy,  concluded 
as  follows :  "Mrs.  Eaton  unites  with  me  in  express- 
ing hearty  appreciation  of  the  courtesies  shown  us 

286 


Mrs.  Gkhthi  1)i:   Pu att   Katon 


IN  THE  HOME  LAND  AGAIN  287 

and  the  confidence  reposed  in  us  during  the  many 
years  past.  We  can  never  forget  the  friends  we 
have  known,  some  of  whom  have  grown  up  from 
childhood  under  our  eyes.  May  Heaven's  richest 
blessing  abide  with  them  all!  We  are  sure  that 
Mexico  will  emerge  from  the  present  trj'ing  condi- 
tions to  occupy  an  important  place  in  the  sister- 
hood of  nations.  May  she  soon  enjoy  the  blessings 
of  peace,  and  consequently  a  large  measure  of 
material  prosperity.  But  may  all  of  her  citizens 
come  to  realize  the  truth  of  that  proverb  of  the 
Hebrew  people  to  whom  we  owe  the  foundation 
of  our  Christianity,  *  Righteousness  exalteth  a 
nation,  but  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people. '  And 
may  all  of  you  who  have  come  to  establish  your- 
selves here  in  business  remember  that  what  counts 
in  the  long  run,  is  not  what  you  have,  but  what 
you  are.  High  ideals,  sterling  character,  brotherly 
kindness,  reverence  toward  God,  responsiveness 
to  the  unseen  spiritual  forces — these  are  tlie  tilings 
which  are  grandly  worth  while.  Let  us  all  try  to 
realize  them  more  fully  than  we  have  yet  done." 
At  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Mexico  Mis- 
sion was  adopted  the  following  mimite:  "Re- 
solved that  we  deplore  the  necessity  for  the  with- 
drawal of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Eaton  from  our  number; 
and,  remembering  the  consecrated  and  faithful 
service  which  they  have  rendered  during  the  years 
past,  we  wish  to  express  our  appreciation  of  their 
offering  of  love  in  the  transfer  of  their  home  to 
the  Board  for  the  use  of  the  Mission." 


288  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

As  to  the  happy  years  which  have  been  passed 
in  Southern  California,  many  of  our  experiences 
here  are  still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  wife  and  chil- 
dren, and  need  not  be  recounted  in  these  pages. 
Yet  it  may  be  permissible  to  record  a  few  of  thti 
outstanding  events  of  this  latest  period  of  our  life 
under  two  flags.  Underneath  them  all  is  the  com- 
fortable assurance  that  we  took  just  the  right  step 
in  coming  here  to  establish  our  final  home.  For 
not  only  are  conditions  here  favorable  to  health, 
so  that  to  each  of  us,  seemingly,  has  been  granted 
a  new  lease  of  life ;  but  the  life  is  enriched  with  an 
abundance  of  the  highest  kinds  of  enjoyment,  and 
with  opportunities  for  forms  of  service  to  which 
our  training  and  experience  in  the  past  most  in- 
cline us,  to  an  extent  which  could  not  possibly  be 
the  case  for  us  in  any  other  part  of  the  land.  Among 
the  residents  here  we  have  found  classmates  or 
schoolmates  dating  back  more  than  half  a  century, 
whether  in  academy,  college  or  seminary ;  families 
of  relatives  on  both  sides;  many  Americans  who 
were  our  friends  in  Chihuahua,  some  of  them  asso- 
ciated with  our  church  or  school  life  there;  and 
many  Mexicans  who  might  be  classified  in  a  simi- 
lar manner.  It  is  the  simple  truth  to  say  that  we 
feel  more  at  home  here  than  either  one  of  us  could 
in  the  place  of  birth,  because  time  has  wrought  so 
many  changes  in  the  distant  communities. 

Nor  are  we  limited  to  association  with  relatives 
and  old  friends  who  live  here.  For  the  lure  of 
this  favored  region  is  such  as  to  attract,  at  all 


IN  THE  HOME  LAND  AGAIN  289 

seasons  of  the  year,  a  multitude  of  tourists  repre- 
senting every  section  of  the  country;  and  witli 
them  come  many  who  are  closely  knit  to  us  by  ties 
of  kindred  and  affection.  It  is  a  common  remark 
here,  that  all  one  needs  to  do  in  order  to  meet  any 
desired  person,  is  simply  to  wait  long  enough,  and 
that  person  will  surely  be  encountered  on  the 
street  or  in  some  place  of  public  assembly. 

Besides  all  this,  it  is  gratifying  to  elderly  people 
to  be  assured  that  they  still  may  be  of  some  use  in 
the  world,  and  that  their  assistance  is  really 
needed  in  certain  directions.  Almost  limitless 
have  been  our  opportunities  for  speaking  in  be- 
half of  Christian  undertakings  in  Mexico,  before 
churches,  women's  societies,  men's  brotherhoods, 
clubs,  schools,  minsters'  meetings,  and  other  as- 
semblies large  and  small.  Particularly  were  we 
glad  to  show  our  friendship  for  Mexico  during  the 
years  of  revolution  and  sporadic  disturbances  be- 
low our  southern  border,  when  there  was  wide- 
spread misunderstanding  of  the  real  situation,  and 
so  much  of  gross  misrepresentation  in  the  public 
press  by  designing  men  who  were  promoting  self- 
ish interests. 

In  each  of  the  three  churches  here  to  which  we 
have  belonged  successively,  has  it  been  our  privi- 
lege to  render  various  forms  of  service.  The  Con- 
gregational Ministerial  Union  of  Los  Angeles, 
Which  maintains  an  average  membership  of  sixty 
clergymen,  has  retained  me  for  the  past  eiglit 
years  as  their  secretary-treasurer.     There  liave 


290  LIFE   UNDER  TWO   FLAGS 

been  sustained  other  relations  of  interest,  as  with 
the  Society,  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  the  Sons  of 
Veterans  and  the  City  Club.  Mrs.  Eaton  is  a  busy 
person,  occupying  positions  of  responsibility  in 
various  organizations  of  women,  being  in  con- 
stant demand  as  a  public  speaker  on  Mexico  and 
its  needs,  and  having  been  privileged  to  secure 
among  friends  pledges  of  generous  sums  to  pro- 
mote educational  work  on  the  west  coast. 

In  1917,  our  son-in-law.  Rev.  L.  Frank  McGinty, 
without  waiting  to  be  drafted  into  the  service  of 
his  country  when  she  entered  the  World  War,  en- 
listed in  the  regular  army  and  was  assigned  to 
Company  C  in  the  Twenty-fifth  Engineers.  After 
receiving  intensive  training  in  Fort  McDowell 
near  San  Francisco,  and  in  Camp  Devens  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, on  the  first  of  the  following  January 
he  was  ordered  over  seas,  and  saw  active  and 
dangerous  service  in  France,  including  the  last 
six  weeks  before  the  armistice,  in  the  Argonne 
Forest.  Before  the  return  of  our  troops  he  was 
engaged,  as  one  of  a  small  group  of  actors  and 
musicians,  for  months  in  giving  entertainments  to 
the  men  in  the  several  camps.  He  received  his 
discharge  from  the  service  in  June,  1919.  Our 
son,  Howard  Demarest  Eaton,  M.D.,  entered  the 
service  as  a  medical  officer ;  and  although  he  was 
not  sent  over  seas,  he  was  able  to  render  important 
service  in  the  line  of  his  specialty,  diseases  of  the 
heart  and  the  lungs,  in  the  hospital  at  Camp 
Custer,  Michigan,  when  so  many  of  our  soldiers 


IN  THE  HOME  LAND  AGAIN  2<)1 

were  suffering  from  the  ravages  of  the  iiifluonza. 
He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Captain,  and  be- 
longs to  the  Medical  Reserve  Corps.  The  proud 
mother  wore  a  pin  with  two  stars  to  indicate  tlio 
nature  of  the  offering  made  by  the  family. 

In  the  year  1919  there  came  to  me  an  oppor- 
tunity to  serve  the  interests  of  missions  in 
Mexico,  through  helping  to  carry  out  plans  wliicli 
had  been  adopted  by  the  different  societies  for  a 
friendly  distribution  of  territory.  In  readjusting 
the  respective  fields  of  labor  of  tlie  American 
Board  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Cliurch, 
South,  it  became  necessary  for  these  two  organi- 
zations to  arrange  for  exchanging  a  part  of  their 
properties  which  had  been  acquired  for  use  as 
churches,  schools  and  residences,  and  whicli  were 
distributed  over  an  area  comprising  lialf  a  dozen 
different  states  of  the  neighboring  Republic.  Each 
society  made  a  list  of  its  holdings  atfected  by  the 
exchange,  indicating  the  location,  dimensions  and 
value  of  each  and  the  nature  of  its  legal  tenure; 
and  they  appointed  commissioners  to  make  per- 
sonal examination  of  the  several  plants,  and  after- 
ward come  to  an  agreement  concerning  the  valua- 
tions of  the  same,  which  would  of  course  deter- 
mine the  amount  of  the  balance  to  be  paid  by  one 
board  to  the  other  in  settlement  of  the  account. 

As  the  representative  of  the  American  Board 
(the  other  one  named  three  commissioners),  it  be- 
came my  task  to  visit  the  fields  in  question,  con- 
sulting en  route  with  missionaries,  and  having  the 


292  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

company  of  one  and  another  for  a  considerable 
share  of  the  journey.  Varied  were  the  means  of 
transportation;  railway  trains,  both  passenger 
and  freight,  automobiles,  steamer  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean  between  the  ports  of  Mazatlan  and  Man- 
zanillo,  rowboat  and  gasoline  launch,  horse-drawn 
vehicles  and  trolley  cars.  Throughout  one  day's 
ride  on  a  Southern  Pacific  train  along  the  low  and 
fertile  western  coast  we  were  guarded  by  an 
armored  car  filled  with  federal  soldiers,  against 
possible  attack  by  bandits.  Again  in  the  bar- 
ren and  mountainous  region  of  San  Luis  Potosi, 
where  the  roadbed  has  been  carried  through  ex- 
cavations in  the  solid  rock  and  is  marked  by  many 
curves,  our  train  was  preceded  at  a  short  interval 
by  a  pilot  locomotive  pulling  a  box  car  which  con- 
tained soldiers  prepared  to  shoot  any  miscreants 
who  might  have  placed  obstructions  on  the  track 
for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  robbery  of  the  pas- 
sengers. But  no  untoward  event  occurred  during 
all  my  journey  of  six  weeks. 

It  was  reassuring  to  see  so  many  men  at  work 
in  the  fields,  or  occupying  themselves  in  other 
peaceful  pursuits,  as  if  they  had  never  heard  of 
revolutions.  In  the  city  of  Monterey,  while  wait- 
ing for  the  arrival  of  Bishop  Cannon,  I  was  privi- 
leged to  attend  a  political  meeting  which  was  held 
to  promote  the  candidacy  of  General  Alvaro  Ob- 
regon  for  the  office  of  President.  Some  six  hun- 
dred men  assembled  in  the  principal  theater ;  and 
five  addresses  were  made,  most  of  them  in  the  style 


IN  THE  HOME  LAND  AGAIN  293 

of  voluble  and  impassioned  oratory  usual  in  Latin 
American  countries,  and  some  of  them  voiced 
sharp  criticism  of  certain  acts  of  the  Carranza 
administration.  But  from  beginning  to  end  the 
most  perfect  order  prevailed,  like  that  wliich  char- 
acterizes an  assembly  in  our  owti  country  at  a 
lecture  or  concert.  It  is  doubtful  if  such  irre- 
proachable behavior  by  hundreds  of  men  only,  at 
a  political  gathering,  could  be  surpassed,  if  in- 
deed matched,  anywhere  in  the  United  States. 
Furthermore,  there  was  not  to  be  seen  a  single 
policeman  about  the  building,  although  the  guar- 
dians of  public  order  were  not  wanting  in  other 
parts  of  the  city;  and  this  notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  President  Carranza  had  recently  made  liim- 
self  very  unpopular  in  that  state  by  imposing  upon 
it  a  governor  who  was  generally  disliked  by  the 
citizens.  Before  the  meeting  began  I  got  into  con- 
versation Avith  a  man  of  evident  respectability  who 
was  willing  to  talk  frankly  with  one  who  spoke  liis 
language  and  was  acquainted  with  his  country. 
Among  other  things  he  said,  in  a  low  tone  of  voice 
and  with  a  quiet  manner :  ''We  are  not  saying  very 
much  in  public  about  General  Obregon ;  but  a  lot 
of  us  are  going  to  vote  for  him." 

On  the  fifth  of  February  early  in  the  morning 
I  was  aroused  from  sleep  by  the  sound  of  jangling 
bells  and  of  exploding  bombs  in  celebration  of  the 
anniversary  of  the  promulgation  of  the  Reform 
Laws.  There  sprung  up  in  my  heart  the  hope  that 
on  that  auspicious  day  the  representatives  of  tlie 


294  LIFE  UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

two  boards  might  reach  an  agreement  as  to  the 
terms  on  which  the  contemplated  exchange  of 
properties  could  be  effected.  Only  the  night  be- 
fore had  four  of  us  met  in  a  social  way,  and  agreed 
to  begin  our  task  in  the  morning;  but  before  the 
sun  set,  our  signatures  were  appended  to  a  docu- 
ment embodying  the  result  that  had  been  arrived 
at  without  difficulty,  and  which  later  was  ratified 
by  the  American  Board  in  the  precise  form  in 
which  it  had  been  drawn  up. 

Commenting  upon  the  event,  "The  Missionary 
Herald"  in  an  editorial  reported  that  the  Metho- 
dist brethren  had  already  begun  the  payment  of  in- 
terest upon  the  balance  which  was  due  our  board, 
to  be  continued  until  they  shall  have  secured  un- 
questioned power  under  Mexican  law  to  convey 
and  to  receive  mission  property ;  spoke  of  the  fra- 
ternal conferences  between  officials  of  the  two  or- 
ganizations as  making  for  "closer  cooperation 
in  helping  to  develop  the  Evangelical  Church  of 
Mexico" ;  and  added  what  it  may  be  permissible  to 
put  on  record  here,  as  a  part  of  the  heritage  which 
the  writer  of  this  little  story  of  a  life  would  trans- 
mit to  his  children:  "Toward  this  end.  Dr.  James 
D.  Eaton  of  Los  Angeles  rendered  conspicuous 
service.  His  knowledge  of  Mexico  through  years 
of  life  there  as  an  American  Board  missionary,  his 
long  experience  as  treasurer  of  our  mission  before 
he  retired  from  active  service,  his  high  sense  of 
justice,  his  wisdom,  tact  and  friendliness,  all  these 


IN   THE  HOME  LAND   AGAIN  295 

made  such  an  impression  upon  liic  Mcliiodist  r<'p- 
resentatives  that  they  have  not  yet  ceased  to  re- 
mark upon  the  ease  with  which  all  saw  *eye  to  eye' 
at  their  conference.  We  are  glad  in  this  public 
way  to  express  the  Board's  gratitude  to  one  who 
gave  so  freely  of  his  time  and  strength  to  this 
deputation  work,  and  who  so  conducted  negotia- 
tions as  to  inspire  to  greater  unity  in  spiritual 
work. ' ' 

While  tracing  through  the  years  experiences  in 
the  Middle  West  and  on  both  coasts  of  our  broad 
land,  and  particularly  those  which  filled  so  full  my 
life  under  the  flag  of  a  sister  republic,  I  have 
found  new  motives  for  joy  and  thanksgiving  over 
the  way  in  which  the  earthly  existence  for  me  lias 
unfolded.  Mistakes  indeed  have  occurred,  certain 
of  my  youthful  ideals  and  aspirations  have  not 
been  realized,  disappointments  and  losses  have 
not  been  wanting,  and  achievements  have  not 
measured  up  to  opportunities.  But  we  need 
not  try  to  punish  ourselves  by  lamenting  tliat  we 
have  done  so  little,  or  did  it  so  poorly.  We  have 
an  understanding  and  compassionate  Father  who 
is  more  willing  to  forgive  and  forget  than  we  are 
to  ask  Him  to  do  so,  who  knows  how  to  bring 
good  out  of  what  seems  to  be  evil,  and  who  may  ))e 
trusted  to  carry  us  on  toward  the  goal  which  has 
been  set  by  Infinite  Wisdom  and  Love. 

Wife  and  I  remember  with  tender  interest  the 
several  homes  we  established  together,  each  t)f 


296  LIFE   UNDER  TWO  FLAGS 

them  connected  in  our  minds  with  some  event  in  the 
family  history ;  Portland  and  the  first  housekeep- 
ing, Bound  Brook  and  our  firstborn,  Chihuahua 
and  its  four  successive  dwellings  associated  with 
various  occurrences  but  especially  \\ath  the  advent 
of  the  dear  daughter,  Los  Angeles  and  the  cottage 
on  Hayes  Avenue,  which  for  a  period  sheltered 
her  little  family,  and  from  time  to  time  has  wel- 
comed relatives  and  friends  coming  to  visit  this 
favored  southland.  For  vears  now  the  cot- 
tage  has  had  for  a  companion  a  bungalow  built 
especially  to  house  the  younger  family;  and  the 
two  dwellings  almost  enclose  a  garden  of  flowers 
and  fruit  trees,  thus  suggesting  the  Spanish  cus- 
tom of  building  an  ample  house  around  a  patio, 
wiiich  assures  a  degree  of  privacy  for  the  imnates 
while  affording  them  opportunity  for  enjoying 
nature's  beauty  and  bounty. 

For  almost  half  a  century  have  we  had  each 
other,  and  have  enjoyed  the  many  friendships  on 
both  sides  which  were  gained  through  our  mar- 
riage, and  in  addition  those  which  have  been  won 
during  the  succeeding  years. 

To  that  accumulation  of  wealth,  which  cannot 
be  measured  by  material  standards,  there  are  be- 
ing added  continually  other  riches  through  our 
sharing  with  children  and  grandchildren  their  ex- 
periences which  at  times  are  of  thrilling  interest 
and  bring  increase  of  sympathy  and  affection. 

Now  are  we  tasting  the  sweets  of  ''the  last  of 


IN  THE  HOME  LAND  AGAIN  297 

life  for  which  the  first  was  made" ;  and  we  are  sure 
there  is  to  be  no  abatement  of  its  joys  here;  and 
*'The  Great  Adventure"  itself,  when  the  time 
comes  for  that,  will  introduce  us  to  what  is  hi^^licr 
and  holier  and  happier  still. 


THE   END 


L-006  058  313  y 


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